The Brown County Junior High School We the People civics team finished third at the state finals today in Indianapolis.

Nearly 600 middle and high school students competed on 24 school teams. Among the middle schools, Fishers Junior High finished first and Fall Creek Junior High of Fishers finished second ahead of Brown County.

The We the People program teaches students in the eighth and 12th grades about American history and constitutional issues, including current events and applicable court cases. Students testify in mock congressional hearings before panels of volunteer judges from the community.

Teams advance from Indiana’s four regional competitions to the state competition, with the eventual winner of state advancing to the national competition in the middle school and high school divisions.

Past Brown County Junior High School eighth-graders have won two national titles and two runner-up national awards.

Read more about the BCJHS team in next week’s paper.