Lambs to Lions

Unit 4; the “man group”.  This is the other group that I worked with a lot because Geoff Tease and I work together with our units.  This group became a powerhouse as the year went on.  They became a ballet of leading men; each taking the lead, but dancing different steps.  Brady will be the youngest elected President in history; and I would vote for him.  He understands the moment and how to bring his audience (the judges) to his side.  Brady likes to utter the phrase “If I understand what you are asking” and it has the effect of bring the judges to his level in the conversation.  Every time he would do it there would be a little internal chuckling.  The “Colin Burke Show” featured our team’s favorite Canadian (Halley might also be Canadian, but I call her the “sassy French girl” so she doesn’t count).  Colin’s development was so fun to witness as he progressed into this calm talk show host persona with a wealth of knowledge.  He made the judges his audience and somehow made you feel like he was interviewing the judges and that Colin had the script for the discussion.  He was a joy to watch and gave Geoff and I a couple great moments at Nationals.  The member of the “man group” is someone that came out of nowhere; it is hard to describe the pre-district Ryan, let’s just leave it with you would have given long odds that he would become one of the strongest members of the 18 keys.  Ryan and I share a bond over military service; there is a special place in my heart for people that choose to follow that path.  Ryan started to show himself in the roll up to state competition.  He began to pull and incorporate knowledge that could only be done through his own personal study.  Every deep conversation in the basement seemed to weave itself into his responses; he understood, he understood everything.  We walked together at Arlington National Cemetery and talked about the responsibility of leading men; he gets it.  I am proud to know him.

Unit 5. Wow.  Tough unit in the first place; case law and more case law.  But what really makes this group is the need for feisty, argumentative, knowledge pit bulls; they had it and more.  The glue of this group was Jake.  He was the conservative platform surrounded by intelligent individualists who possessed Rocky’s “Eye of the Tiger”.  Jake was not a pushover; just the opposite he was calmly aggressive in his disagreements with teammates and judges.  We like units to have creative tension; this group has it is spades.  The feistiest member of was Abigail.  She jumps into fire pit feet first; articulate and polished, she could command the entire room.  Abigail would remind you of the successful TV lawyer whose personality was as big as her ability.  Watching Abigail compete made me glad every time that I had not committed a crime and she was not prosecuting me.  Abigail is the reason that I recruited junior high speech team kids for next year’s We the People 8th grade class.  Her polish stood out to me during the entire year; we did not have to teach her how to be polished in front of an audience.  Halley Rose.  *sniff*  I helped recruit her to the We the People team, because I believe in her.  She was my Student of the Year back in 7th grade, my NJHS President, and the editor of my yearbook.  She is so…European; and I mean that in the nicest way.  She is a philosopher, educated, and cultured.  Blessed with deeply held beliefs that she will defend.  When she talked to the judges she would bring a deep thought or obscure reference that told everyone in the room that she was someone to be attended to in the competition.

Unit 6.  “Let it go, let it go”   This unit was so much fun.  Xiaohong singing only 8 words from Frozen’s big song on the bus ride to and from Nationals.  This group was a constant in my basement on Sunday nights.  They worked so hard to become better.  Dimi reminds me of a college professor; he even has the best beard, he just needs the pony tail and the earth shoes with a sports jacket and he is ready for the classroom.  By his nature he is soft-spoken, but when he talks he has something to say; unlike some folks in put words in the air and hope some of the words make a point.  Dimi offers a solution to gerrymandering that is a mathematical model that takes politics out of the discussion.  Xiaohong cannot be described very easily   She is brilliant in so many areas and could probably get stuck on an escalator.  There is no one on our team that worked harder and studied more (well maybe Meghan) to improve.  I thought her responses to judges’ questions on the immigration paper at Nationals and the civil disobedience paper at State were her best moments; both moments showed how much worked she put into understanding the material.  Lastly, Jason brought about one of my favorite moments of the year when after Dimi and Xiaohong introduced themselves in their native tongue and English, Jason introduced himself in English, twice.  It was a light moment in tense situation that put everyone at ease.  Jason was made for We the People.  He is passionate about study of government and history.  He could be counted on to fire out first.  So many times, just when it appeared the unit was stuck, Jason would save the day.

My last part of the thanks go to Geoff Tease, Taylor Schueth, “Dr.” Dyson, and Liz Paternoster.  Geoff and I worked side-by-side with our units for the last 5 years.  We coached softball together before that.  He is my friend.  There are few people who understand the Constitution and the history surrounding it like Geoff.  He is also a Red Sox fan which says something about his character.  Taylor is known to me at many levels; a student in my building, a terrible Camp Tecumseh counselor, and a one-woman force of nature in We the People.  She is tough and passionate; her units always improve and excel.  She cries as easy as I do; which is saying something.  “Dr.” Dyson knows more about the Civil War than anyone I have ever met; his clever quips and spot on questioning as a judge helped prepare this team at every level.  Lastly, Liz.  Thanks for trusting me with your kids at Nationals; thank you for getting me involved when my schedule should have told me to say “no”; and thank you for your passion for civics. Wow that was a long thank you.