Missouri students take constitutional knowledge beyond the classroom

On the drive to Columbia for Show Me the Constitution, Joplin senior Jayden Camerer worried he had forgotten everything he’d learned about the Constitution.

But once he arrived at the competition, it all came back.

“Actually getting in there in front of the judges, it was a great experience,” Camerer said. “They really work to pull the knowledge out of you, and it kind of helped just to be in the actual setting and it just clicked. I remembered everything I learned all year, and I’ve been able to use it.”

Camerer was one of more than 80 students from eight schools across the state who came to Columbia on April 20 to participate in Show Me the Constitution, a mock congressional hearing competition where students showcase their constitutional knowledge.

Joplin High School won first place, Central High School won second place, and Kickapoo High School won third place.

View photos from this year’s Show Me the Constitution competition here.

The competition, hosted by The Missouri Bar's citizenship education department, simulates congressional committee hearings, challenging teams of students to analyze and apply constitutional principles to contemporary legal and political issues. The students then argue those complex constitutional issues before a panel of judges composed of leaders in the legal and educational fields. This year’s topics included: 

• Should stare decisis matter in the 21st century?  
• To what extent should the First Amendment's protection of free expression apply to speech on social media platforms?  
• Is federalism still relevant in our country?  

Jennifer Wells, a teacher at Kickapoo High School in Springfield, said she appreciated how the questions allow students to research a topic as deeply as they want to.

“I love that the questions give the kids the ability to really dive into the material and connect a lot of the class concepts that we’ve talked about in a real, a relevant, and contemporary way,” Wells said.

Wells also said that presenting their ideas to lawyers and judges is affirming for the students, and the experience feels more personal than a typical academic competition.

“The feedback that I always get from the kids is this is the best academic experience that they’ve ever had, because it feels, and is, very real,” Wells said.

Students from Lindbergh High School in St. Louis said they were excited and had been preparing since the fall.

Sophomore Libby Corbett-Cox said it’s been a fun way to learn more about politics and government. She’s been able to see how the Constitution is a living, breathing document, and how it applies to modern day life.

“It helps (us) better understand the law and the Constitution, and I think that’s a very fundamental part of living in the United States, is learning what rights you have, why you possess them, and how the Constitution applies to modern day,” Corbett-Cox said.

At Joplin High School, students who want to participate in Show Me the Constitution can take a class during the fall semester that helps them prepare for the spring competition. Camerer said he enjoys how interactive the class and competition are.

“That’s what I love about it, is it’s learning the Constitution and it’s learning case law and Supreme Court cases without just having to sit and be lectured in front of a board,” Camerer said.

Joplin senior Carly Dunn said she enjoyed interacting directly with the subject and that she gained a deeper love for government and laws by preparing for and competing in the competition. Dunn said she was nervous and excited to talk about the subject she loves with others who are passionate about it as well.

Show Me the Constitution is the best civics program he knows of that students can participate in, said William Keczkemethy, who coaches the Joplin team. It helps students go beyond learning from a textbook, conduct independent research, discuss varying opinions in a civil manner, and work together as a team, he added.

Lindbergh High School sophomore Nevaeh Brannum said the sense of community has been impactful.

“I think we have a very good sense of community with all of us, and we all communicate with each other very well and get along very well,” Brannum said. “Specifically with this group, I’ve loved working with them.”

Russ Sackreiter, a former teacher and a curriculum writer, has been involved in the Show Me the Constitution competition since it began about ten years ago. He said it was difficult to adequately describe all the positive ways he’s seen the competition impact students.

When he talks to a student in college who previously participated in Show Me the Constitution, they say the skills they learned in preparing for questions helped them in college more than anything else, he said. It teaches them how to research, look at issues objectively, and more.

Commissioner William Gust, of St. Louis County, said it is easy for he and other judges who work with these legal issues daily to know the cases and information, but it was impressive to see students digest, understand, and relay the same knowledge and principles.

“I think it’s been amazing to see how much preparation went into this from the teams and the amount of knowledge,” Gust said.

The competition would not be possible without the lawyers and educators who volunteer their time to judge the competition. They play a major part in helping The Missouri Bar further its goal of ensuring all Missourians have access to ongoing civics education.  

The Missouri Bar citizenship education department hosts numerous events throughout the year and provides resources that can be implemented in the classroom. View dozens of resources at MissouriLawyersHelp.org.