PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – Seventh graders in Mrs. Lauren Kappler’s West Gate K-8 Civics class won first place accolades in the St. Lucie Public Schools Project Citizen Showcase. Their project entitled Don’t Panic will compete at the State level and is currently on display at the Capital where legislators will serve on judging panels for a final evaluation of all projects by late May.
We the People: Project Citizen is organized by Florida Law Related Education, Inc. which explains the annual project as “a curricular program for upper elementary and secondary students designed and published by the Center for Civic Education (CCE) that promotes competent and responsible participation in local and state government. The program helps participants learn how to monitor and influence public policy. In the process, they develop support for democratic values and principles, tolerance, and feelings of political efficacy.”
Students in Civics classes work in teams, identify a public policy problem in their community, research the problem, and after evaluating possible solutions to the problem, propose a public policy that could serve as the solution. At the local level of competition, the solutions are well documented in a portfolio, and the policy is shared with a committee of community leaders using a display board along with a verbal presentation.
Mrs. Kappler’s students proposed a public policy based on panic button devices for school safety modeled after safety systems in other states such as Georgia.
About St. Lucie Public Schools
The mission of St. Lucie Public Schools is to ensure all students graduate from safe and caring schools equipped with the knowledge, skills and desire to succeed. For more information visit, www.stlucieschools.org or contact Kerry Padrick at kerry.padrick@stlucieschools.org.
