An extra class changed Alishia Gaston Stack’s career. While teaching English, she took on a government course during her planning period and liked it so much that she earned certification in the subject. She now teaches government and civics at Lowndes High School. Her “daily docket” gives students a question or activity to get them thinking. For a Constitution Day project, they research and propose a 28th Amendment, weigh its advantages and drawbacks, and make their case to classmates acting as Congress. Stack presses them to consider whether their proposal belongs in the Constitution or addresses something a state should handle. She chooses groups so students work beyond their usual circles, then gives them room to lead. When one student asked to model her 28th Amendment proposal, Stack gave her the opportunity to teach her classmates. Students who ask Stack to supply an answer may hear, “I need you to make an executive decision.” She wants them to practice thinking it through themselves. Stack takes as much pride in students volunteering at the local hospital or writing encouraging cards to school staff as she does in their exam scores. “It’s like they find their voice in this class,” she says of students who arrive shy or quiet. Their growing confidence matters to her, along with the responsibility they take for their work and for others.

A graduate told Christopher Klugman that a comment on a test helped him choose public policy. Klugman had noticed the student’s interest and encouraged him to pursue it. He looks for those opportunities as he teaches ninth-grade AP U.S. Government at BASIS Scottsdale. “You have to have that base of knowledge in order to then go do the amazing things,” Klugman says. His students read the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Federalist Papers closely, compare Supreme Court decisions, and write arguments about how government works. He also coaches mock congressional debate and introduced a civics capstone course. Students return to constitutional questions in greater depth by researching, drafting, and revising their answers before practicing how to present them. Klugman points students toward civic essay contests and other opportunities to pursue an interest beyond class. His own experience as a state representative’s assistant shapes an assignment in which students form simulated interest groups and write to elected officials. He was inspired by receiving letters from BASIS Scottsdale students while working in the legislature. Now he helps his own students make their case to a representative.

Jaimee Martin now teaches an AP U.S. Government and Politics class that her former eighth graders helped bring to their school. They wanted another AP option, approached her, and worked with administrators to make it happen. At West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School, Martin gets to teach those students again, alongside her eighth-grade civics classes. Her Civics Walks take students to local churches, memorials, and historic sites. A student’s question about the Underground Railroad sent the class looking for answers close to home. They found an 1850 sermon opposing the Fugitive Slave Act, delivered in a church within walking distance of school. Students read the sermon at the church and compared the Declaration of Independence with a runaway slave advertisement during the walking tour. They examined the gap between the country’s promises and the treatment of people denied freedom, then considered how people in their town had responded. Back at school, students wrote letters to U.S. representatives about humanitarian issues. “I don’t believe in busy work. I believe in hard work,” Martin says. A childhood trip to Boston’s Freedom Trail sparked her own interest in history. She gives students opportunities to make similar discoveries in their town and put their ideas to work before they’re old enough to vote.

When Jordan Gray points to the Constitution on his classroom wall, he asks students who its opening words are talking about. “You are the people. We are the people,” he tells them. Gray teaches eighth-grade civics and economics at Benjamin Syms Middle School, where he wants students to recognize that their rights belong to them now. As a high school student, Gray participated in debate and attended school board meetings. As a teacher, he ran for the Virginia House of Delegates and Newport News School Board. Those experiences give him firsthand examples of the work involved in participating in government. In class, students debate which laws to pass in lawmaking simulations. Gray has also organized a candidate forum and works with math and English teachers to connect their subjects with civics. He wants students to recognize how what they learn about taxes, rights, and government decisions applies to their everyday lives. Gray wants students to leave ready to ask tough questions, recognize reliable information, and listen to people they disagree with. He reminds them that decisions made today will shape their lives for years. Understanding those decisions and finding ways to participate are responsibilities they can begin practicing now.

Katie Boland has watched some of her quietest students find their voices in a moot court. At Trumbull High School, every senior in her AP U.S. Government classes takes part in the simulated court as a final project, arguing cases before alumni and fellow students serving as judges. “I always think that government’s meant to be active,” Boland says. In a National Security Council simulation, students research their roles, advise her as president, and respond when she introduces a new crisis. They have to put what they’ve learned to use, even when the scenario changes. Boland also teaches American Indian history and archaeology. Class discussions often return to the balance between government power and individual liberty. She asks students to question the information they encounter and listen to understand classmates’ reasoning before preparing a rebuttal. Her students keep in touch long after graduation. They return to help coach and judge current students, report back after voting for the first time, and send Constitution Day photos of their pocket Constitutions from college campuses and workplaces. One recent photo came from a former student’s own social studies classroom.

Lawtnee Frazier’s eighth graders sometimes ask what she thinks about an issue. She turns the question back to them: “I have my own thoughts, but I want to hear what you think.” At Quail Hollow Middle School, her social studies classes explore U.S. and North Carolina history, with students expected to develop arguments of their own. After studying Andrew Jackson’s presidency, students decide whether he should remain on the $20 bill. They weigh evidence, compare his actions with democratic ideals, and explain their conclusions in writing. Some argue for keeping him; others want a replacement. Frazier looks for sound reasoning, not agreement with her. She displays their arguments in a hallway gallery, where other students can read them. Having taught both middle and high school, she makes writing a priority before they move on to ninth grade. She wants the ideas and the writing to be theirs, with technology helping rather than taking over. Frazier also makes room for students to connect history and civics to their experiences. Lessons on the Bill of Rights lead to discussions of students’ rights, while journaling gives them space to reflect when events affect their lives. She makes the expectation clear: students can disagree without putting one another down.

Monica Brown’s fourth graders have questions about Benjamin Franklin’s “Join, or Die” cartoon. Why a snake? What do the initials mean? Why are the pieces separated? At Oakshire Elementary School, Brown uses those questions to help students investigate sources rather than simply accept an explanation. Brown teaches English Language Arts, social studies, and civics. A National Board Certified Teacher, she moved from health care administration into education after tutoring students and seeing the need for literacy instruction. Reading, writing, and civic learning go together in her classroom, where students weigh evidence and consider different perspectives. They take that work into the community through Kids Who Care Like King service-learning projects. Students investigate a local need, decide how to respond, and carry out a project with help from family and community members. They’ve volunteered at animal shelters, collected food and clothing, and sent care packages to military personnel. At a January school program, they share what they did and what they learned. “I want them to understand that they have a voice and they have a responsibility to use their voice,” Brown says. She hopes they remember how to question information, listen to someone who disagrees, and serve without expecting anything in return.

Patricia Wyskowski likes hearing students continue a class discussion on their way out the door. She teaches AP Human Geography and AP/Honors U.S. History I at Bayonne High School, the same school she attended. When a conversation carries into the hallway, she knows students have found something they want to keep exploring. She gives them a historian’s work: examine a source, investigate its origins, and look beyond the first explanation. “When was it created? What was happening at the time?” she asks. Students consider what a source can tell them and what else they need to know. Preparing for constitutional hearings gives students another reason to investigate together. They study individual rights and limits on government, connect constitutional questions to current events, and discuss their conclusions. Wyskowski asks them to examine the Declaration of Independence’s promises alongside the practice of slavery and the efforts that have expanded freedom. Discussions  can be personal. Some students have shared accounts of religious or political persecution their families faced before coming to the United States. Wyskowski helps them connect constitutional protections to their own lives and consider their responsibilities as citizens. She also wants them to recognize bias and assess a source’s credibility, especially as they approach voting age.

Some students choose Rachel Morrison’s U.S. history class because they want to get to know a veteran. Through the GHS Veterans Project, which she founded and directs at Goochland High School, her 11th graders interview local veterans and build friendships that can last long after the course ends. Students record military histories, visit memorials with veterans, and write the biographies that are read aloud when veterans are honored at home football games. Two former students stayed close to their veterans and later joined him on the field when the school recognized his service. Students help run the project, too. Senior interns organize events, speak to community groups, and interview applicants who hope to take their places the following year. History doesn’t have to be their favorite subject. Some plan to study entirely different fields, but they return because they believe in the project and care about the veterans. “There is nothing isolated in history,” Morrison says. In her standard, Honors, AP, and Dual-Enrollment classes, students examine where the country has met or fallen short of its ideals. They read primary sources to understand what people knew at the time and why they made particular decisions. Morrison expects students to support their arguments with evidence and practice disagreeing respectfully. Morrison has now been honored as BRI’s 2026-2027 National Civics Teacher of the Year. Read more about the announcement.

Seth Harris grew up watching his father pause courtroom proceedings to explain them to visiting students. He planned to become a lawyer, then realized that what he most enjoyed was getting other people interested in the law. Today, he teaches seventh-grade civics and U.S. history at Shaker Middle School. In Harris’ Law Day mock trial, seventh graders serve as attorneys, witnesses, court personnel, and jurors. The trial is unscripted. Students study the facts, develop arguments, make objections, and deliberate. After the verdict, they examine which evidence persuaded the jury, including when the outcome wasn’t what they wanted. He brings that practical approach to local government. When Harris asks students whether they’ve interacted with the government that morning, they initially say no. Then he asks about the water they used and the roads they traveled. A complaint about a pothole leads to a discussion about who can fix it. “How do you get things done that you want done?” Harris asks. He encourages students to attend local board meetings, learn when and how to speak, and work with others on shared concerns. Students have advocated for turning an old railway spur into a bike path. Harris takes particular pride in watching them realize they’re being heard.

Join the Bill of Rights Institute in congratulating the 2026 MyImpact Challenge winners. Students from across the country entered service, volunteerism, or entrepreneurship projects and now it is time to celebrate our winners, including the students who took home our $10,000 Grand Prize! Come learn about how students are making a difference in their communities and see how today’s youth are tackling local problems with innovative solutions. Are you currently working on civics project for your community? Submit your project starting September 11, 2026 for the 2027 MyImpact Challenge. To learn more, visit the MyImpact Challenge page here: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/my-impact-challenge/

Join the Bill of Rights Institute in congratulating the 2025 MyImpact Challenge winners. Students from across the country entered service, volunteerism, or entrepreneurship projects and now it is time to celebrate our winners – including the student who took home our $10,000 Grand Prize! Come learn about how students are making a difference in their communities and see how today’s youth are tackling local problems with innovative solutions. Are you currently working on civics project for your community? Submit your project starting September 11, 2025 for the 2026 MyImpact Challenge.

Join the Bill of Rights Institute for a virtual citizenship fair honoring the winners of the 2024 MyImpact Challenge civic engagement contest! Students from across the country entered their service projects, and now it is time to celebrate our ten winners – including the student who took home our $10,000 Grand Prize! Come learn about student service projects and see how today’s youth are tackling local problems with innovative solutions.

Join the Bill of Rights Institute for a virtual civics fair honoring the winners of the 2023 MyImpact Challenge civic engagement contest! Students from across the country entered their service projects, and now it is time to celebrate our ten winners – including the student(s) who took home our $10,000 Grand Prize! Come learn about student service projects and see how today’s youth are tackling local problems with innovative solutions. MyImpact Challenge Information: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/my-impact-challenge