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Project Citizen Competition Colorado State Winners
Tiffany Berry’s 5th grade students won the state this past Thursday in the Project Citizen competition that was held at our State Capitol. They were competing against students from all over the state of Colorado. Our Lincoln students chose to focus on disposable water bottles as their problem of practice. Lincoln Elementary won the competition and the project will be presented at the national level.
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Carbonado students shine in Project Citizen
Carbonado middle school students participated in “Project Citizen” again this year. The primary goal is to develop in students a commitment to active citizenship. They learned about the policy-making process of government at all levels. Each class worked together to identify and study a problem in their community or school. They proposed a solution in the form of a public policy recommendation and developed an action plan for getting their policy proposal adopted and implemented. The students display their work in a portfolio and documentation binder and present it in a simulated public hearing. This process helps students connect with real world problems and events. The sixth grade class took first place in district competition with their project about illegal dumping: “Don’t Dump the Trash.... Just Pay the Cash.” They next competed at the state level on May 18 in Olympia. While the group didn’t advance to nationals they received a rating of “exceptional” and took home a plaque.
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Golden Valley High School Receives Civic Learning Award of Excellence
Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, the 28th Chief Justice of California, was at Golden Valley High in Bakersfield to present the school with a Civic Learning Award of Excellence. Only three schools in California received the award co-sponsored by the Chief Justice and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. "It's refreshing to see how creative educators and motivated students learn about the power of democracy," said Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye. "These courses and programs help motivate our leaders of tomorrow." The Chief Justice's visit included firsthand accounts from students and teachers of the school's award-winning civics programs such as "Project Citizen" and "We, the People: The Citizen and the Constitution."
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Videos of Washington Students' Project Citizen Hearings
For the first time in 26 years two schools tied for first place in the Washington State Project Citizen Showcase held at the State Capitol on May 18. Videos of all of the students' hearings are available for viewing.
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Project Citizen Team Presents to Global Audience
On May 2, Centennial High School students working with Nancy Clendenen presented to a global audience their Project Citizen topic Technology Equality. The team was selected to be part of the 2013 Megaconference Jr. which allowed middle and high school students from around the world to interact and share their projects. They presented their Project Citizen project on the topic of Technology Equity as a global issue. This gave the students a chance to do a global conference on a topic they are passionate about and it introduced Project Citizen to others as a way to work towards changes in public policy.
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Lake Bluff Middle School Hosts Project Citizen Spring Showcase
Lake Bluff (Illinois) Middle School 8th graders will bring their Project Citizen information to the public on Tuesday, May 21. This first-ever Spring Showcase will provide an opportunity for parents and other community member to hear the results of the students’ research into local problems and to hear about the steps they have taken to bring about change in public policy. Project Citizen is a unique curriculum designed by the Center for Civic Education in the 1990s to provide hands-on experience in how government works and to encourage participation in government. Last year alone, Project Citizen was experienced by more than 300,000 students and 5,000 teachers in the United States and in other countries around the world. Project Citizen came to Lake Bluff Middle School during the 2009-2010 school year and has been a significant part of the Eighth Grade Social Studies curriculum since then. Project Citizen promises to be an important part of the middle school curriculum in the future as it aligns with the new Common Core Standards.
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Idaho Humanities Council to Honor Two Teachers Using Center materials
Siena Elementary School teacher Heide Fry and Centennial High School teacher Cindy Wilson, both of whom use Center for Civic Education materials with their classes, will receive awards in May from the Idaho Humanities Council for “Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities.” The two Meridian School District teachers will be recognized because of their passion for the humanities, their ability to inspire students through their love of their subject, their innovative teaching methods, and their contributions to the teaching profession. Each teacher will receive $1,000 for personal use and $1,000 for her school to devote to improving the teaching of the humanities.
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Wisconsin Sixth-graders win Project Citizen state competition for public policy work
Ben Franklin Elementary sixth-graders showed Common Council members Tuesday they know a little something about politics by presenting their plans to build a playground that would be accessible for all children, including those with disabilities. The sixth-graders' efforts were part of their involvement in Project Citizen, an international initiative that fosters civic-minded behavior. After conducting research and putting together portfolios and presentations, the group of 13 students recently won the Project Citizen state competition in Madison, having edged out middle schoolers from across Wisconsin. Under the direction of teacher Claudia Pagelsdorf, who recently won the Wisconsin Civic Education Teacher of the Year award, the sixth-graders performed surveys, formulated solutions and met with the city's Planning Commission.
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Students come in second place in the state for their project titled "No Child Left Obese"
Seventh grade students from Mrs. Tomchek's Social Studies class competed in the 2013 Project Citizen State Showcase in Madison last weekend. They came in second place with their project titled "No Child Left Obese." The project aimed to bring awareness to the issue of childhood obesity. The number of overweight and obese children has tripled in the U.S. since the 1970s. The students' idea was that a state law should require gym class every day of the week for all students. As more emphasis is being put on reading and math, extra classes like physical education are being eliminated. This group wants to make sure the physical education is protected through a state law. They have already surveyed the students and many adults, made a Facebook group and an online petition.
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Elk Grove Students Aid their Community Using Film and Project Citizen Techniques
Officials in Elk Grove, CA, are preparing to open a community recycling center equipped to handle hazardous household waste materials. If the new facility is going to be well used, local residents will need to learn the right way to transport batteries and other hazardous materials for safe disposal. Fortunately, the city's staff had access to a local film academy to produce an instructional video.Sixth-grade students taught by Jim Bentley are producing the film. They're presenting it at a city council meeting this week. For Bentley, this is just the latest in series of projects that leverage the power of filmmaking to teach writing, critical thinking, and civic engagement. Increasingly, Bentley's students are producing films that encourage active citizenship. This reflects his own evolution as a social studies teacher, thanks to resources and professional development provided by Project Citizen from the Center for Civic Education. He also credits the World We Want Foundation.
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