For teacher Will Bellaimey, real-life simulations aren’t a bonus. They’re the whole point. His philosophy centers on getting students out of their seats and into the roles they’re studying, because the best way to understand how government works is to actually do it.

This year, that meant two Moot Supreme Court simulations and a month-long Criminal Mock Trial. Students stepped into law firms, drafted formal legal briefs on real constitutional cases, and went head-to-head before a panel of judges.