Each year, students that take part in Civic Engagement Academy (CEA) at Bob Graham Education Center participate in various competitions including Lead2Feed, a leadership program that nurtures a new generation of leaders working to meet a need through project management, decision-making and teamwork to alleviate hunger needs within the community.
Project Citizen is a curricular program promoting competent and responsible participation in local and state government while learning how to monitor and influence public policy. Students also participate in mock trials, a simulated trial process highlighting the role of juries in the administration of justice and examining case materials aligned with the middle school civics benchmarks.
Additionally, BGEC students also participate in programs like We the People, an instructional program that enhances students understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy. Students discover the contemporary relevance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The culminating activity is a simulated congressional hearing in which students “testify” before a panel of judges. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.
This year, sixth grade students participated in Lead2Feed project by making “morning bags” for the homeless that visit Camillus House. Camillus House provides a day program for anyone that needs to freshen up and start their day in a positive way. The students wanted to enhance this program by providing “Sunny-Side Up Morning Bags” for anyone in the day center.
They organized and conducted a collection of certain items to include in a re-usable bag. These bags included water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, wipes, fresh socks, clean shirt with morning breakfast bars, cereal and snacks. The students also added personalized, hand-written notes to encourage and provide a positive message to someone that may be going through a challenging time. Sunny Side Up bags were delivered to Camillus House on March 21 and were given to anyone in need. Not only did the students help others in their community, they also learned how to work together to accomplish a goal.