Centennial Wins Regional We the People Competition

Centennial Wins Regional We the People Competition

  • December 5, 2022

Nearly 150 students from seven local high schools put their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution to the test on Dec. 3, 2022 during the annual We the People Congressional Hearings held at Golden Valley High School. Centennial High School won the regional competition and will move on to represent Kern County in the state championships to be held early in 2023.

Students from Arvin High’s We the People team pose for a photo.

The competition, which was hosted by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office, consisted of teams competing for a chance to win either the 20th or 22nd Congressional District title. The 20th Congressional District was made up of Centennial and Liberty High schools. The 22nd Congressional District was made up by Arvin, East, Golden Valley, Ridgeview, and West High Schools.

Each team individually presented testimony in two rounds of six mock congressional hearings. Congressional committees, consisting of community scholars and civic leaders, posed one of three study questions to the students prior to the competition. Each team was allowed four minutes to present testimony. Then, for an additional six minutes, teams answered questions posed by judges involving constitutional issues raised by events in history. The combined totals of all six team units determined the winner.

20th Congressional District Results
1st — Centennial High School
2nd — Liberty High School

22nd Congressional District Results

1st — Arvin High School
2nd — Golden Valley High School
3rd — West High School

Overall Regional Winner — Centennial High School