In 1788, the Constitution was ratified and became the framework of the United States government. Throughout history, citizens have debated the Constitutions nuances and how the government applies it to the country. In 2025, at Fishers High School, students continue the tradition by participating in civic education courses such as the We the People club. We the People is a club where students will learn about the U.S Constitution and government, then later apply their knowledge in competitions against other schools. This year’s We the People team consists of 19 students. With their sponsor Liz Paternoster, the team is currently preparing for state which is occurring on Wednesday, Dec. 10. State is important for the team because it is the last chance to make it to the Nationals.
As the state competition gets closer, the team members all have mixed feelings. For junior Aneeka Patel, the new regulations have made it difficult for her to prepare for the upcoming event. She finds comfort in knowing she has two teammates that will be there to help her.
“We have to complete two papers instead of just one, and we only have a month to prepare,” Patel said. “Right now, I feel scared about competing and not being able to go to Nationals, though it comforts me that I have two outstanding unit members to help.”
As the team prepares, they use their prior experiences and knowledge to support themselves in the end. Friday, Oct. 31 was the regional competition, which was the last one the team had before state. The team placed second, which benefits them in state. Patel says that getting second place gave her more knowledge and showed her what she needed to add to her preparation to do better at state. She also adds that the team is motivated to beat Hamilton Southeastern since they had placed first.
“The process of prepping for regionals benefited me more because it taught me what information I need and how to understand it enough to use in a follow-up,” Patel said. “More than that, getting second place against HSE has given me, and the team, motivation to beat them at state.
As a team, they have goals but as individuals they have some as well. It takes all of them to be able to prepare and conquer at state. Senior Brayden Savioe says that he has a personal goal of expanding his knowledge.
“My goals are to expand my case law knowledge by three cases every day,” Savioe said.
Being a part of a club, team, or anything, there are going to be challenges and setbacks. The team experiences easy situations and hard ones. Patel says that she struggles with the reality that she might not succeed every time, but she feels better knowing that the easiest part of the club is having the support of others.
“The hardest part of this club is accepting that I am not going to do great every single time. Having to accept and work on my weaknesses has been uncomfortable, but worth every second.” Patel said. “The easiest, however, is getting to be on a team that is there to support you and wants you to perform the best that you can.”
Preparing for this opportunity, the team is filled with overwhelming feelings but also motivation. They are motivated to move up and earn a spot in the next big event. Savioe says that he would feel a sense of accomplishment if they won at state. He also adds that if they win, they automictically will be going to Nationals.
“I would feel amazing if we won state,” Savioe said. “It would mean we have a guaranteed ticket to the national competition.”
The students are not the only ones who play a role in this club. They run under a sponsor who guides them and offers support in the events they participate in. Their sponsor, Liz Paternoster, shares some of the same feelings they have. She says her expectations are based on what her students want in the end.
“My expectations match what they want, I think they want to have the best performance they could possibly have.” Paternoster said, “I want them to perform without regrets.”
