We The People Bio - Kim Smith

It was a hard decision for me to decide whether or not I wanted to be in this program. I had watched last year’s group perform and I loved what they did. I love this country, a feeling that was greatly instilled in me by my mom. She grew up in Argentina during the “Dirty war,” a time of a corrupt government and economic struggle, and has always told us how lucky we are to live in this country where we are free from oppression. The struggle for me was not that I wasn’t interested or that I was afraid of the work load, the greatest obstacle I had to overcome was myself.

See, I have always been a really shy person; any one that knows me can attest to it. It has always held me back when speaking in public and even talking to people in general. It is an ongoing internal battle. It’s not that I didn’t want to talk, it’s just that I always felt like I didn’t have anything worthwhile to say and when I did, I believed that no one would ever want to listen to me. I never bothered making an opinion about anything because I believed that no matter what I thought, I would always be wrong.

I decided to try it out, and I promised myself that if it didn’t work out those first couple days, I would leave. I felt so out of place that first day of school, sitting in that room the first day of class with some of the brightest kids in Sky View. It became even worse when we got our first set of questions. I seriously felt like I was reading another language. Each day of class was information overload and I left class each day wondering why I was even in there. Panic began to set in and I was ready to run, but I was tired of being afraid, so I took a leap and I decided that I was going to stay.

Joining “We the People” has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I absolutely love this program. I’ve made so many friends and learned so much, not just about our government and our country, but about myself too. I’m more confident and I’m learning to speak up and form my own opinion. It’s addicting when you can go up there before the judges and be able to have an intellectual conversation with them. I love the feeling you get when you can sit up there with your family by your side and know what you’re talking about, be able to back it up with evidence, building off each of your team members, getting stronger and stronger, and by the end of the six minutes, wish that you could stay up there all day.

I love everyone on this team. Everyone has been so wonderful to me and has welcomed me with open arms, despite the fact that I may be extremely quiet sometimes. They bear with me and have helped me grow so much these last couple months. I’m really grateful that we have the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. for nationals, not just so we can compete, but so we can stay together for another couple months. But I know that even if it was to end today, that these friendships we have made will last forever.

We The People Bio - Corey Warren

I grew up in a family that is quite politically active and where talks on politics and American history are quite common. Life was good and I enjoyed talking with my dad about current events. Then came the day that would change my life forever, I was just about to go in high school as a sophomore and tragedy struck my family and my dad had a horrible accident, and a week later he died of complications. My world around me came crashing down, life seemed to stop and all motivations of life seemed less likely to happen. I went on through high school basically costing and finding that most teachers cared but just not that much, the biggest potential they saw in me was getting an A. Then came along history 1700 with a teacher that would change my life forever, The amazing teacher, Mr. Rigby said that I would be a good match for the We the People program and I could do well with it. Then he found I knew some of the kids in the program in the year before me. Those students believed in me and here I am a senior in high school with a new determination for life and a new found love of politics that I feel my dad would be proud of. Granted life is still hard without my dad but the hole that was left from his death has been partially filled by people I have met in We the People that can see my potential and the growing love I have for America and the Constitution. I now am part of a Unit that is from a large diverse background. One of the members in my group I tolerated, and then we got stuck in Unit 2 together. Well now we're best of friends. My group as well as the class enjoy talking to each other and support each other in what we do. Take for instance I was in the Sky View Musical production of Oklahoma. Well among my family that came my family from my unit as well as from the whole We the People team. In this program you learn to work, and work hard, but you also learn to work with people you might not even know or like. Basically We the People became my wake up call to go and DO the things I want. I can work hard and get the reward I want and have fun as well as getting to know people in the process. Now I don't know what I want to do with my life , but the plan right know is I would like to teach, not only because of Mr. Rigby and his influence on me but also because my dad taught school, and I want to influence lives of children like my dad Richard Warren, and Mr. Rigby did for me.

KVNU Show a Great Success!

We The People just finished our first radio appearance, it was tons of fun and I hope those that listened enjoyed it. Hopefully in the future we will be able to do some more radio appearances. Some interesting questions were asked and it was great to get the message out about We The People. A very special thanks Jason Williams and Tyler Riggs of KVNU's For The People! For anyone that wants to donate, is interested in our fundraisers, or just wants more information on We The People in general contact Miah at (435) 770-9477

Pictured here from left to right, Nathan Ricks, Miah Bowen, Ty Rupp, and Brynnly Pabst (we were the four that aired on KVNU).

We The People Bio - Taylor Valdez

Junior Year 2009 -

It was my senior year in high school, and I was returning for my second year on the cheer team. During my first year being a Sky View cheerleader, I had made 15 sisters, 15 best friends, a family of 16 cheerleaders. My coach, Natalie Tueller, was a mother figure to us, one of my heroes to this day. Even though sometimes she would raise her voice when we goofed off too much during practice or games, she loved us like her 16 little dancin' children, and we all knew it. I was ecstatic for the coming year, for it would be full of new experiences and new relationships with the new members.

Summer, 2009 -

I got stuck in a dangerous and bad situation, the end resulting in an obligation to resign my position as a cheerleader from Sky View High. I was devistated, heartbroken. I worried day to day what life would be like without those close friends on the squad. "Would people judge me? Will my friends still accept me?" I was terrified of my reputation in the high school and also the image I would portray of my own character.

Senior Year 2009 -

Dragging myself out of bed everyday, I managed to survive through school day by day. A deep and saddening feeling would drown me each time I spotted a blue and white cheer uniform in the halls. I would love to support the sports teams of my high school, but the pain of watching what had slipped out of my hands was too much to handle, yet I pasted on my smile for the public eye.

One of my classes was Government with Mr. Rigby. He was big and tall and... kinda scary. His wife had been in the hospital, so we had a substitute teacher for the first few weeks. We learned where all the states were located on the US map (duh...) the branches of government (duhhh...) and told a few jokes along the way. Our first major project in the class was to group into members of 5, and pick an elected 'president'. We were instructed to write a speech about current political issues, and speak in front of the class. My group picked me to run for 'President'. Also, we made a cute little slideshow with a picture of me standing in front of the flag to go along with it (super cute!) and also made pins for everyone that said 'Vote Valdez'. It ended up that when competing against my fellow 'candidates' in presenting our speeches, I ended up winning. I felt pretty good about myself! After all, I WAS the only girl running. The trimester was almost over, and taking into account my aspiration for becoming a lawyer, I considered to request being transferred into AP government. I needed to fill the open space from cheer third hour, and AP government was third hour. I had heard a little about We The People, but not much. Although I had little knowledge on the competition, I had a deep and passionate interest for law, public speaking, and also formally written documents. After talking to the cousilor and Mr. Rigby, I was pretty intimidated and questioning if I was ready for all the hard work and hours of study necessary. I thought about it for a few days and after thinking about the hard times I've gone through with cheer, I decided I would try something new. I decided I needed to be dedicated to something that I love. I needed to bond with people now that I could not have the close bond with the cheerleaders anymore. My counselor put the class on my schedule and I was in!! At first, I was so lost with all the politics and government issues, and especially the history part. I had not taken any history classes past the normal required basic history class. I was in deep trouble... or so i thought.

Now -

I finally got familiar with the tough subjects, the big, tall, scary teacher, and even the crazy students in WTP. I finally understood the format of We The People and everything that it includes. After weeks and weeks in the class, I have learned more than political issues and how government works. I have learned that putting on a cheer uniform and looking cute isn't what life is about (trust me, I was shocked.) Life is so much more complex than what it may seem. I found that there are people that care about you and who you really are behind the cheer uniform. My classmates in WTP do not judge me, for any reason, whatsoever, and I believe they never will. I consider each one of them, some more than others, my best friends. On top of that, I learned SO much about the Constitution, government, and all the things people say are 'boring', but they just don't come off that way to me. I now find them one of the most important things in our lives and now recognize the need to be educated on these topics. I have learned so much about studying (first... do it), different techniques and most of all determination.

I look back today on the tough times I have been struggling through, and am so thankful for what WTP has done for me. We took state championships and now we are heading to Washington D.C. to compete in Nationals. Sitting in the competition room is so rewarding knowing how hard you have worked for this moment, even if you do not perform at your best. It is an amazing feeling of accomplishment as you look to your left and right to see your team mates next to you, supporting you.

We stand together, we fall together. We The People.

We The People Bio - Jessica Swenson

Taking state was not a defining moment of my life. Memorable, definitely. But it was not this wholly crucial moment that I will look back on and say, “Wow! My life really changed there!”

I realized this as my unit joined hands when the announcer began telling us who’d won the individual units. Here we were, four kids who hadn’t really known each other at the beginning of the year. And now we were closer than spandex on a volleyball player, laughing together and working together like we’d been friends our whole lives. And when we took it, when we were announced the best Unit 4 in the state, all we could do was look at each other and grin. We are more than friends. We're a family.

A family part of a larger team. When the audience was told that the difference between second and first place was three measly points, our hand-holding spread to include the rest of the table. And when we took state, there was no other group of people in the world that I wanted to be on that stage with.

When I think of We the People, I don’t think of me. I think of us. In this program, I’ve found that amazement that comes from being just a part of the whole. It is all of our efforts, not just mine, that have earned us this trip to Washington D.C. for Nationals. It was so hard for me to not be wholly in control of my fate, but the trust I’ve given and the unity I’ve felt has been worth everything.

Though this program has greatly changed my course in life and shown me new interests, I find that my individual story, in the end, doesn’t really matter. What does matter are the stories of my unit and the stories of the team. The stories of twenty-nine high school students coming together to not only study the Constitution, but become passionate about it. It’s Gestalt psychology: “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” and that right there is what is important.

The State We the People competition was not a defining moment because it was just the culmination point. The hours working and learning, the inside jokes, and the fleeting seconds where I could actually feel my unit grow together are my significant moments. Those are the times I will look back on and say, “Wow. My life really changed there.”

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. - Marianne Williamson

Welcome to Sky View High School We the People Blog

We the People the Citizen and the Constitution High School Level Simulated Congressional Hearings is a federally sponsored program that works at elementary, middle, and high school levels. Those at the High School level have the opportunity to compete for district, state, and then national competitions. For the fourth year running, Sky View's team has taken the state title, meaning that the team proceeds onto the national level in Washington D.C.

We the People consists of each team with six units, at Sky View the units are anywhere from four to six members. Each unit has three "questions", each with a different focus. Prior to competing, each unit prepares four minute responses to each of their questions for presentation. At the competition, the judges will randomly choose one question to ask. At that point the unit presents the four minute response, then the judges ask six minutes on open questioning, relating to any aspect of the response.

Sky View is going to Washington D.C. on April 22 and return home on April 28, the funds required to attend the national convention are approximately $25,000. In order to help raise funds we are working on several fundraisers.