HAGERSTOWN, MD (November 5, 2019) – Advanced Placement Government students from Washington County Public Schools (WCPS) will participate in the District We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Competition on Friday, November 15, 2019 in the Behavioral Sciences Building at Hagerstown Community College. Teams of students from Boonsboro, Clear Spring, North Hagerstown, Smithsburg, South Hagerstown and Williamsport high schools will be judged on their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles in a simulated Congressional hearing format before panels of judges, comprised of WCPS educators and community members. The competition gives students an opportunity to evaluate, take and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.

After an introduction to the competition at 9 a.m., a preliminary round begins at 9:25 a.m. A second round is scheduled to begin at 10:55 a.m. and end at noon. The judges have a half hour to confer, to be followed by an awards ceremony at approximately 12:40 p.m.

The winners earn a trip to the state competition in January, where high schools from across Maryland hope to advance to the National Competition in April in Washington, DC.