Two weeks later, school is once again in session. And the first course on Monday is, for both Audrey and Pablo, AP US Government.

Upon entering the classroom, he sees a few people with whom he never interacted much, but a few faces appear familiar to him: George, Tanith, Lilina and, of course, Audrey. After the instructor introduced himself:

“Please keep in mind that, unlike a lot of AP courses we offer here, AP US Government is a half-year course. And, bear with me, the first week of the course is about the foundations of US government, and how it’s shaped by events that occurred during and after the American Revolution”

The teacher realizes that, unlike in previous years, it seems that some football players are willing to take the course when football is in season. Past football players who took AP US Government tended to wait until the second half of the year to take it. It was, in years past, the most commonly taken AP by the football team, however, the teacher muses before the announcement over the group project is made:

“This course’s group project is about making your own platform for an electoral campaign. Your platform can be either a state-level or a federal one, but you must choose between these six races: House and Senate (both state and federal), state governor or president” the teacher informs the students before going into the details of the timeline and requirements. “It appears that we have three quiz bowlers in this section, and no team will have more than one quiz bowler!”

“Any particular reason why no team must have more than one quiz bowler? Isn’t this course a debater’s heaven instead?” Tanith asks the teacher.

“Historically, the people you call debaters fell into two camps. You’re thinking of the first camp, where people debate sociopolitical topics left and right, and the camp you think of. However, there’s the second camp, for whom theatrics are their bread and butter and for whom learning more about government is not necessarily a priority. Also, the quiz bowlers in this section are all very strong students who know enough about politics for it to constitute an advantage. Finally, this project is to be done in teams of four…”

As expected, George doesn’t hesitate to team up with his beloved Lilina, but, for both Pablo and Audrey, this means they can’t team up with each other. Shoot! Last year, I was in AP Bio with Audrey, it went well, and, if it was feasible, I would have done so again with her. She understands that I can’t just sit around and wait for others to get their parts done! Pablo thinks of what does being unable to team up with Audrey mean to him, and for how to approach this project.

“Hey Pablo, you were helpful to me when I was stuck with legislative gridlock last year, what about we team up this time around?” Tanith asks her.

“Yeah, I guess…”

Audrey and Lilina are the first two to have assembled their teams of four. Some other students are scrambling to find teams for this group project. Including, well, Cora:

“Cora? Why is it that you couldn’t get a team for this project?” Pablo asks the small forward.

“Audrey found three other people too quickly for me to even stand a chance!” Cora complains. “She is on the basketball team; she was my first choice”

“All right, I’ll do it with you!” Pablo tells Cora while the final guy enters the picture.

“Me too, I wonder if it’s ok to team up with you…” the fourth student asks him.

“I guess, I have no choice” Pablo sighs. “Now that it’s done, we would like us to exchange contact information we don’t already have”

“Before I forget, I’m Hugh” the fourth student in Pablo’s team explains himself.

“We need to get one thing out of the way: if we need to meet after school for this project, it will have to wait until after football practice!” Pablo warns his group for AP US Government before they can try to agree on a time for the group project.

It turns out that Hugh has band practice after school today. However, Tanith’s debate practice isn’t on Monday.

“Tonight, after football or band practice, is that ok with you?” Hugh asks his teammates.

“I’ll just need to ask my parents if I can host tonight’s work at my place” Cora then makes a mental note to text her parents after the class ends.

And then the teacher disgorges information about what’s political power, how it’s distributed and what’s democracy, direct and indirect (or representative). They come to the realization that, in order to even begin working on this project, there is something critical that may be covered later in the course. Namely, which level of government does what.

And, of course, every team must be prepared to defend their platform, as well as argue for it, as in an actual election. Once the session ends, this is a grim realization that makes everyone panic, just not necessarily because of the group project itself.

“Pablo, let me make this clear: because the teacher just assumed we were too strong to be put together on the same team for this project, just make sure that you don’t use this project as an opportunity to cheat on me!” Audrey asks Pablo, with an insistent tone of voice.

“Of course not, Audrey. I don’t think Cora or Tanith are my kind of girl; however, I can’t point my finger as to why just yet! But I can’t tell them no so long as I stick to academics with them!” Pablo tries to allay Audrey’s concerns.

“Exactly: just make sure that you stick to the project itself!” Audrey warns him once more, while Cora texts him with her parents’ answers for tonight after football practice.

And Tanith as well as Hugh, too. In which case Cora asks about whether they accept this to be done at Cora’s home after football practice. Of course I’ll accept; I know Cora dates Malcolm, and, even for a football player, it’s a bad idea to make a girl cheat on another football player. Tanith, on the other hand, dates Gerard, whom I know is not in this class., Pablo then checks against Tanith’s social media pages, believing she would be honest until proven otherwise.

Yet, after football practice, he can count himself lucky that he doesn’t have any other homework for day 1. So when he arrives after football practice, with Hugh in tow, they already find Tanith at Cora’s place.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

“Hi everyone. We must take advantage of this opportunity of not having much homework to get the show on the road and start the project” Pablo explains, while a point he makes could be one of the snags the team may as well hit. And also George’s team if they plan on getting the project out of the way early. “If we were to start the project right now, we need to know immediately what powers are assumed by whom!”

“Why?” Cora asks him.

“Three of the six choices we have deal with local issues and how they interact with the state and the federal governments, two with state-level issues and the last one deals in nation-wide issues” Pablo explains to the group.

“Just so you know, because I am on the band and Pablo plays football, he and I would love it if we can complete this project, or at least our parts, before the football season opener” Hugh informs the other three. “That, even though the project is due the day before the federal midterm elections, in November!”

“Pablo, in theory, state legislators and Congressional candidates campaign based on platforms that reflect local concerns, but in practice, often people vote for their legislators based on gubernatorial and presidential platforms respectively” Tanith retorts. “Since I play Congress on the debate team, I suggest we do it on the federal House!”

I can already feel like everyone else will do it on a presidential platform. After all, political news, which the syllabus strongly suggests we follow, and I will because the coach warned that playing Congress will mean that topics will often be drawn from current political issues, are dominated by the federal goings-on, Tanith then starts combing platforms of candidates for the Third Louisiana Congressional district.

And yet, Tanith’s choice of doing this group project on a Congressional race is not contested by anyone.

“I’d say the abolition of debt ceiling is going to be key, since past debt ceiling crises have seriously damaged the ability of the federal government to even function, regardless of what other issues we could possibly push!” Pablo gives an issue for the rest of the team to work on.

“Yet the teacher expects us to have the majority of a campaign platform rooted in local issues, since we picked a federal House race for the project!” Cora adds, while the two male team members start researching their arguments to make a case for the abolition of the debt ceiling, in a way that can be used to run for Congress.

“I believe this platform must be designed with an eye on being used by a real candidate running for, say, our House district, so nationwide issues with local impacts is fair game so long as the local impacts are made clear when arguing for a policy position!” Hugh adds to this discussion of political issues.

Cora’s parents watch the foursome continue to quarrel over the contents of the platform that forms the basis for the group project in AP US Government, but rapidly Pablo and Cora dominate the quarrels.

On the one hand, Pablo seemed to believe that the local constituents endlessly complain about federal inefficiencies even though Tanith made the case, with his help, that Congressional gridlock might help limit the more deleterious effects of public overspending and corruption last school year.

On the other, Cora obviously preferred to cover issues of particular local interest, which she argued the abolition of the debt ceiling was not. Cora’s dad overhears the late stages of this scene:

“We all know about how unsatisfied our parishioners are about the Feds, and where the abolition of the debt ceiling fits!” Pablo keeps yelling at Cora.

“No, Pablo, even if Tanith said was true and Congressmen were voted for based mostly on national platforms, residents still expect their legislators to bring what their constituents need, and they won’t see the impact of the abolition of the debt ceiling itself! Hence why they shouldn’t use that to base a campaign upon!” Cora retorts, her face turning red.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Cora’s dad gasps upon hearing Cora argue the abolition of the debt ceiling. “I would never have imagined my own daughter argue about how our local Congressional candidates shouldn’t use the abolition of the debt ceiling to run!”

“It’s now that I regret letting Cora take AP US Government!” Cora’s mom starts arguing with Cora’s dad, in front of Pablo and his teammates.

Say what you will about Audrey being the brainiac of the basketball teams, but Cora clearly has the intellectual capabilities required to succeed in college. We even let her take the APs she wanted. However, this half-year taking AP US Government is going to be a nightmare, Cora’s mom ruminates on this whole dispute over group project content before she snaps.

Meanwhile, Pablo and Hugh resume their research on other issues that have local implications, as determined by Tanith based on her research of Congressional candidates’ platforms.

“Cora, Pablo, stop it, you two!” Cora’s mom yells in their direction.

“Here’s the deal: if you want the best platform, you must also think about possible objections to each item, and be able to respond to them!” Tanith yells at the other three, now knee-deep into their research.

When I last met him, I had these ideas, but I needed help to put these together. This whole experience with legislative gridlock opened my eyes to the need to consider both sides of the issue, in ways the course itself didn’t, Tanith starts to think about how Pablo changed her outlook on academics. Especially since she’s in her rookie season as a Congressional debater.

“What is this coming to? I would never have imagined AP US Government doubling as a debate class as well!” Cora’s dad, bewildered by what he’s hearing and seeing, starts wondering if this project has poisoned their minds.

“Maybe, you know, it’s just how a healthy exchange of ideas is a critical component of what makes a healthy democracy!” Hugh tells Cora’s dad, hovering over them.

And yet the four buckle down in an attempt to get the group project done before the end of the night. With Cora there to ensure they mostly stick to federal issues that carry direct implications for southwest Louisiana.

Obviously, Pablo and Hugh make the biggest chunk of work because they most feel the time crunch, as they start reviewing the issues in SWLA for wetland protection, agricultural and energy policy. Better get our parts done tonight, and then we will no longer have this group project hanging over our heads later! Cora and Tanith can always take care of the rest of the project when the football season begins, three weeks from now!

“Going forward, I think it’s a bad idea to have any further meetings for this project at my home. My parents interfere with our work!” Cora suggests.

When they deem their work finished, Pablo then returns home, admittedly a little late. He then texts his parents: “I’m returning home!”

On his way home, he texts Audrey. “This AP US Government group project was a total nightmare!”

“What do you mean, the group project was a total nightmare?” Audrey asks him.

“Cora has unpleasant parents! They make me feel like AP US Government exposes us to political topics we aren’t equipped to tackle!” Pablo feels a little downed by Cora’s parents.

He then starts to ruminate. While I’m sure Audrey understands clearly what impact the debt ceiling has on the federal government, and both Cora and Tanith likely do, I feel like Cora’s parents underestimate our intelligence!

The following day, after the morning football practice, Pablo approaches Audrey once again before going to class.

“After last night, I might be wondering why is it that Cora flew under the basketball teams’ intellectual radar! It seems like the gap between you and Heather or Cora is smaller than I initially thought”

“What do you mean?” Audrey asks him.

“We argued about the abolition of the debt ceiling for a bit, and whether it was appropriate to use it on a platform to run for Congress. On top of that, we picked a House race because Tanith plays Congress on the debate team! You know her better than I do, I never worked with her on schoolwork”

“Cora just didn’t feel like any of the academic teams was for her, as far back as middle school. But she feels smarter than even Heather… and yet, she never seemed the type to argue about the debt ceiling!”

“Or rather, we knew about it, but only in a quiz bowl-kind of way”