New York Students’ Projects Win Prizes at Civics Fair
<p>Civic participation was on full display at the Forest Hills High School civics fair in Queens on Thursday, May 21. </p>
<p>The MyImpact Challenge Civics Fair is a partnership between the Bill of Rights Institute, a nonprofit organization that teaches history and civics, and Forest Hills High School. MyImpact Challenge is the Institute’s national civic engagement contest that encourages students to apply constitutional principles, like equality and justice, and civic virtues, like respect and responsibility, to projects that benefit their local communities. </p>
<p>Throughout the day, some 60 students showcased 20 projects centered on service, volunteerism, and entrepreneurship, while competing for $5,000 in prize money. More than 2,000 students, teachers, and administrators attended the fair. </p>
<p>The participants presented their projects to a team of judges that included representatives from the NYCDOE Chancellor’s Office, Queens Borough President’s Office, Mayor’s Office, and the Bill of Rights Institute. </p>
<p>Student projects focus on addressing real community needs through a variety of initiatives, such as book drives, art programs for low-income students, tutoring programs, senior citizen programs addressing loneliness, and websites that offer free STEM resources and guides to help teachers plan culturally enriching field trips. </p>
<p>Awards were presented to the top projects: </p>
<p>1<sup>st</sup> Place: Maria Corrales, Karen Santoso, and Leslie Ferreira won $2,000 for “Waste to Wonder,” which provides lessons for younger students on proper sustainability habits through creating art with recycled materials. </p>
<p> 2<sup>nd</sup> Place: Marieta Vujicic, Isabel Arismendi, and Jacob Botier won $1,500 for “Work Wise,” which offers workshops to help students build valuable, real-world skills like resume building, networking, interview preparation, and financial literacy. </p>
<p>3<sup>rd</sup> Place: Anthony Moody, Ksenia Cili, Liane Gan won $1,000 for “Justice for All,” an enrichment program which help students gain a deeper understanding of their constitutional rights, like equal protection, free speech, free assembly, and due process. </p>
<p>Honorable Mentions of $250 to Samira Bahodirova, Maftuna Usmanova, and Manahil Ikram for “LifeSavers,” which spreads awareness and prevention of teen dating violence; and $250 to Katherine Ha, Tenzin Tashitsang, and Manuel Flores for “Deaf Community,” which educates about the deaf community and fundraises to benefit the Lexington School for the Deaf arts program.</p>
<p>“We’ve seen so many original and well-investigated efforts from our students who have been out in the community, realizing their voice, understanding their agency, and really trying to see in concrete ways that they too can make a difference,” Paul Wilbur, principal of Forest Hills High School, said. “We’re very proud of the work we’re doing with the Bill of Rights Institute’s MyImpact Challenge and are glad to be their partners.”</p>
