Preparing for the national “We the People” invitational, Amador’s competition civics team held a dress rehearsal on April 18.

“The dress rehearsal had a couple of different goals. On the one hand, it was an opportunity for the students to get to practice in competition and dress in a more formal atmosphere, so they are more prepared to perform in a high-pressure situation. But it was also an opportunity for people who may not be making the trip with us to see what we’ve been working on this whole time,” said competition civics advisor Stacey Sklar. 

Students and parents watched on Zoom as judges grilled the reigning national champions during a mock congressional hearing.

“[The judges are] various people [who] have been long term volunteers with experience that’s helpful for judging comp civics. Mairi Wohlgemuth has been involved in the program since the mid ‘90s, and Caleb Baldwin and Haley Baldwin have been volunteering with the program for the last decade,” said Sklar.

By the end of the two hour hearing, the team, though fatigued, received glowing feedback from judges.

“It went really well. Not a single unit left any stones unturned; everyone gave it their all,” said Simran Pandey (‘23). 

Traveling to Washington DC, the team competed in the national competition on April 20 and 21. Should they place among the top 10, they will compete again in the national finals from April 22 to 24. 

Having won nationals in 2022, Amador has the chance to become the fifth school to win the national competition back-to-back in the program’s 36 year history.

“It’s always exciting. It’s something I never get used to because it’s always a new group of students, and their enthusiasm is contagious,” said Sklar.

Competition will be tough, with each of the 60 teams in attendance placing either first or second in their respective state tournaments, but the California wildcard is up to the challenge.

“I definitely think they are ready to compete and I’m very proud of them,” said Sklar.