Poli Sci Team Makes Ninth in the Nation
Ashley Segrave - Associate Editor
May 7, 2010
Filed under News
The political science team of Westminster Christian Academy received ninth place in the nation. This is a very prestigious accomplishment since in the eleven consecutive years Westminster has made it to nationals this is only the third team to make top ten.
“Top ten is a huge deal. It is a goal of every team at nationals to make top ten. There is really no other competition like this, and it is great to finally prove to the Westminster community what hard work we do,” said Molly Anderson, senior.
“A lot of people think we just goof off since we don’t seem to put their classes first on our priorities. The thing is, when you have an opportunity to wow some of the greatest political thinkers when you’re in D.C., it’s really worth so much more than a couple of homework or test grades,” said Sarah Johnson, senior.
The group of seniors in this class left on April twenty-third. They competed on the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth. Sunday night was the night when they would find out if they would compete on the following day. Excitement was running high at the mall party that was held Sunday night. Students from the fifty states, District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands were dancing and letting loose after a grueling two days of competition. However this good comradery ended at nine o’clock when the top ten finalists were announced. The dance floor became silent, and the announcer started proclaiming the names of schools that would be competing the following day where the students would then field eleven-minute sections of follow-up questions about their assigned subject. New Jersey, Virginia, and California were called. In no time only one spot remained. The Westminster students hung their heads in defeat thinking that they had not accomplished the possible.
“I honestly didn’t think we were going to get top ten at that point,” said Ken Boesch, political science coach.
“When they announced our name I could see everyone from my peripheral vision jump up at once. It was awesome,” said Nick Arnold, senior.
“This was the best possible way to find out that we made top ten. It made it so much sweeter,” said Matt Schwartz, senior.
They quickly rushed out of the mall and raced to their hotel a mile away shouting and laughing the whole time. They fervently studied throughout the night, and the following morning competed at the senate office building in the room where every federal judge goes to be questioned by the senate. From nine until one in the afternoon the students competed and did “excellently” as Boesch stated to the watching parents. That evening the banquet was held where the Westminster students found out what place they received.
“I was just thrilled to be in the top ten, and once we were in the top ten our only goal was not to be the tenth,” said Alex Lindstrom, senior.
Along with the hard work that was done there was still time for play. The Westminster students visited the commodore’s house, saw the changing of the guards at Arlington Cemetery, and had the privilege of meeting with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
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