This is Tongass Voices, a series from KTOO sharing weekly perspectives from the homelands of the Áak’w Kwáan and beyond.

Juneau high school students Alivia Gomez and Maddie Bass are playing student debaters in Perseverance Theatre’s new play, “What the Constitution Means to Me.”

The play reflects playwright Heidi Schreck’s experience as a teenager participating in constitutional debates in 1989, and how it influenced her understanding of the founding document of our government as an adult.

During the play’s run in Juneau, Gomez and Bass step into Schreck’s shoes and draw on their own experience in high school debate.

Listen: https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TV_Debators.mp3

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Alivia Gomez: I’m Alivia Gom

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