National Finals: April 9-11, 2025

Prepare to be amazed as high school students from across the nation showcase their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and American government. Now in its fifth decade, the National Finals serves as an exciting finale to students' We the People educational journey. The competition utilizes Simulated Congressional Hearings and typically features 48 teams, each representing their respective states.

Information for Teams & Teachers

Congratulations on reaching the pinnacle of civic education and earning your spot in the We the People National Finals. This is where your journey to become informed and engaged citizens reaches its most exciting chapter!

Here, you will find a collection of essential documents about the competition's structure and the agenda for the National Finals weekend. More information will be added as we get closer to the event, so check back here often for updates.

See the Top-10 Hearing Schedule: Friday, April 11

Who is Participating in 2025

Arizona
- Winner: Corona Del Sol High School—Tempe, AZ
  Teacher: Alison Rund
- Wildcard: Hamilton High School—Chandler, AZ
  Teacher: Brianna Willits

California
- Winner: Foothill High School—Pleasanton, CA
  Teacher: Graham McBride and Jeremy Detamore
- Wildcard: Arcadia High School—Arcadia, CA
  Teacher: Megan Leahy
- John Lewis Class: Tennyson High School—Hayward, CA
  Teacher: Javier Astorga, Charlie Jones, and Mark Ohlmann

Colorado
- Winner: Denver East High School—Denver, CO
  Teacher: Mandy Hostetter
- Wildcard: Grandview High School—Aurora, CO
  Teacher: Jason Kosanovich

Connecticut
- Winner: Trumbull High School—Trumbull, CT
  Teacher: Katie Boland
- Wildcard: Staples High School—Westport, CT
  Teacher: Suzanne Kammerman

District of Columbia
- Winner: National Cathedral School—Washington, D.C.
  Teacher: David Sahr

Florida
- Winner: Hialeah Gardens Senior High School—Hialeah Gardens, FL
  Teacher: Derrick Johnson
- Wildcard: Nova High School—Davie, FL
  Teacher: Kristin Murphy

Illinois
- Winner: Maine South High School—Park Ridge, IL
  Teacher: Leah Politi and Kevin Hansen
- Wildcard: St. Joseph-Ogden High School—St. Joseph, IL
  Teacher: Marshall Schacht and Don Beckett

Indiana
- Winner: Plainfield High School—Plainfield, IN
  Teacher: Adam Ferguson and Robbie Pelkey
- Wildcard: Fishers High School—Fishers, IN
  Teacher: Liz Paternoster and Matt Follman

Kentucky
- Winner: Highlands High School—Fort Thomas, KY
  Teacher: Megan Boimann-Hennies

Maryland
- Winner: Boonsboro High School—Boonsboro, MD
  Teacher: Ashley Vascik

Massachusetts
- Winner: Easthampton High School—Easthampton, MA
  Teacher: Kelley Brown and Taylor Dadmun

Michigan
- Winner: Ann Arbor Pioneer High School—Ann Arbor, MI
  Teacher: Alex Constantelos
- Wildcard: East Grand Rapids High School—Grand Rapids, MI
  Teacher: Adam Horos

Montana
- Winner: Laurel High School—Laurel, MT
  Teacher: Dan Gatley

Nebraska
- Winner: Lincoln East High School & Lincoln Southwest High School (Combined)—Lincoln, NE
  Teacher: Michaela Schleicher and Ryan Salem

Nevada
- Winner: Reno High School—Reno, NV
  Teacher: Richard Clark
- Wildcard: Southwest Career and Technical Academy—Las Vegas, NV
  Teacher: Joseph Juliano

New Hampshire
- Winner: Hollis Brookline High School—Hollis, NH
  Teacher: Trevor Duval

New Jersey
- Winner: East Brunswick High School—East Brunswick, NJ
  Teacher: Marc Mondry

New Mexico
- Winner: Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School—Albuquerque, NM
  Teacher: Bill Torres

New York
- Winner: Forest Hills High School—Forest Hills, NY
  Teacher: Tara Kelly
- Wildcard: James Madison High School—Brooklyn, NY
  Teacher: Jeffrey Roth

North Dakota
- Winner: Edgeley High School— Edgeley, ND
  Teacher: Melissa Entzi

Ohio
- Winner: Findlay High School—Findlay, OH
  Teacher: Mark Dickman and Austin Fox

Oregon
- Winner: Lincoln High School—Portland, OR
  Teacher: Patrick Magee-Jenks
- Wildcard: Sprague High School—Salem, OR
  Teacher: Jacqueline Pope Brothers

Rhode Island
- Winner: North Smithfield High School—North Smithfield, RI
  Teacher: Natalie O'Brien

South Carolina
- Winner: River Bluff High School—Lexington, SC
  Teacher: Linsy Dooley

South Dakota
- Winner: Spearfish High School—Spearfish, SD
  Teacher: Patrick Gainey

Texas
- Winner: Tomball Innovation Center Law Club—Tomball, TX
  Teacher: Greg Wiley

Utah
- Winner: Ridgeline High School—Millville, UT
  Teacher: Julie Major

Virginia
- Winner: Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies—Richmond, VA
  Teacher: Sam Ulmschneider
- Wildcard: Douglas S. Freeman High School—Richmond, VA
  Teacher: Rob Peck

Washington
- Winner: Tahoma Senior High School—Maple Valley, WA
  Teacher: Gretchen Wulfing
- Wildcard: Bellarmine Preparatory School—Tacoma, WA
  Teacher: Ken Brown

West Virginia
- Winner: Woodrow Wilson High School—Beckley, WV
  Teacher: John Quesenberry

Wisconsin
- Winner: Wauwatosa East High School—Wauwatosa, WI
  Teacher: Michael Aronow
- Wildcard: Wauwatosa West High School—Wauwatosa, WI
  Teacher: Chad Mateske

Wyoming
- Winner: Sheridan High School—Sheridan, WY
  Teacher: Michael Thomas
- Wildcard: Cody High School—Cody, WY
  Teacher: Karen Wagner

Important Information for Teachers

2025 Rules and Eligibility for High School Competition

Travel Details

All teams participating in the National Finals must travel with Grand Classroom, our contracted travel vendor for 2025.
Grand Classroom will work directly with teachers to arrange hotel accommodations, travel to the D.C. area, bus transportation to the competition venue, and to other preferred tourism locations.
Grand Classroom will consistently support and assist all teams, promptly addressing any travel needs or concerns, ensuring a smooth and stress-free travel experience for all participants.

About the Hearings

Students' opening statements are four minutes long and may include student notes.
Judges' follow-up questioning on Saturday and Sunday lasts eight minutes; on Monday (top 10), it extends to 10 minutes. During follow-up questioning, students may not use notes.

About Scoring

The scoring team tabulates electronically submitted score sheets from judges, each with five categories. Each category is worth ten points for a maximum score of 50 points per sheet.
Each unit is assessed by three judges, with the highest possible unit score being 150 points.
Classes qualify for the top 10 based on combined scores from the first two days, advancing to round 3 on Monday.
The national winner is determined by doubling the third-day scores and adding them to the total scores for the first two days.

Still Have Questions?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Emily Voss by email. She can assist you or direct you to additional resources.