Resource Directory
WV Civics Education Programs
| Law Adventure Mock Trial Program Kandi Greter, Public Education Coordinator WV Supreme Court of Appeals State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; phone: 304-558-0145; fax: 304-558-1212; | An annual competition that allows middle school students experience and gain a full understanding of the law court procedures and the American judicial system. Each class writes its own script based on one of three scenarios written by the Young Lawyers Section of the West Virginia State Bar. All participating classes perform their scripts at their local courthouse in front of a judicial officer of their choice – either a circuit judge, family court judge, or magistrate. The Young Lawyers Section chooses the winners, whose awards include a school plaque and encore mock trial performance in front of a Supreme Court Justice. | ||
| Civic Life Institute WV Center for Civic Life Betty Knighton, director 304-344-3430 | The Civic Life Institute trains citizens of all ages in techniques and processes to engage citizens in dialogue and deliberation of important state and national issues. Many students have learned how to moderate public discussions, and teachers have used issue materials targeted to the needs of WV communities in classrooms. The Center for Civic Life also works to move community dialogue to community action. | ||
| AmeriCorps WV Commission for National & Community Service Stephanie Yu, Director 710 Central Ave Charleston, WV 25302 Corporation for National and community Service Kathleen Roedersheimer, Dir. 10 Hale St Charleston, WV | National service program that provides a stipend and education award for community service to citizens age 17 and older. Active citizenship, civic knowledge, and reflection are integral parts of all AmeriCorps programs. Participants need to be at least 17 to join. AmeriCorps includes three programs with slightly different focuses: AmeriCorps State and National which emphasizes direct service to meet community needs; Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) which emphasizes service that works with low-income people to promote self-sufficiency and the elimination of poverty; and the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) which is limited to ages 17 – 25 and is a team-centered program with an environmental focus that operates regionally at five central locations. | ||
| High School Mentor Partnership Program WV State Bar Anita Casey, Exec. Dir. 2006 Kanawha Blvd. E Charleston WV 25311 304-558-2456 | The State Bar links volunteer attorneys in every county with K – 12 schools as mentors to support learning about the law and the Constitution. | ||
| HI-Y Charlie Myers, HI-Y director HI-Y Leadership center P.O. Box 239 Pt. Pleasant, WV 25550 304-675-5899 | HI-Y engages young people in a process of leadership development through civic responsibility. HI-Y connects meaningful community service with academic learning, personal and group growth, civic responsibility, and reflection. Supported by adult advisors, HI-Clubs are incubators of leadership where teens figure out what they can do to make their schools and communities better, plan and organize how to turn ideas into action, step out to make differences for good and then take time to review what's accomplished and what to do better the next time. HI-Y annual conference provides program and organizational skill training. | ||
| JUSTICE CASE FILES Kandi Greter, Public Education Coordinator WV Supreme Court of Appeals State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; Phone: 304-558-0145; Fax: 304-558-1212; E-mail: kandigreter@courtswv.org. | The WV Supreme Court of Appeals is participating in a project of the National Center for State Courts entitled Justice Case Files, a graphic novel series for high school seniors that addresses various legal issues relevant to teenagers. This year, every high school in West Virginia received copies of the first Justice Files graphic novel, along with a corresponding lesson plan for teachers. The Division of Children’s Services will distribute a new issue every year to all high schools. | ||
| LAWS Kandi Greter, Public Education Coordinator WV Supreme Court of Appeals State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; phone: 304-558-0145; fax: 304-558-1212; | The LAWS program, “Legal Advancement for West Virginia Students," is designed to educate high school students about the judicial branch of government. Participating students learn about a real Supreme Court case and then watch oral arguments in that case in person. Participating students have a unique opportunity to attend a Supreme Court session in their own, or a nearby, community. Students are provided with study materials and classroom instruction in advance so that they understand the issues in the case and how it reached the Supreme Court. Teachers receive notebooks of materials during a training session conducted by local circuit judges and Supreme Court staff. Using the materials provided by the Court, teachers include judicial education in their curricula before and after students attend the oral argument. Volunteer lawyers and judges also go into classrooms to prepare students. Following the oral argument before the Supreme Court in a local courtroom, the students meet for a "debriefing" with the attorneys who argued the case they heard. They also have an opportunity to meet informally with the Court during lunch, provided by the community hosting LAWS. http://www.state.wv.us/wvsca/LAWS/lawsCover.htm | ||
| Model UN Charlie Myers HI-Y Leadership center P.O. Box 239 Pt. Pleasant, WV 25550 304-675-5899 |
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| Mountaineer Boys/ Rhododendron Girls State WV American Legion Robert Fochalis, Commander 1-888-534-4667 WV American Legion Auxiliary Mary Rose Yoho 304-455-3449 | Boys State and Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary for high school students between their junior and senior years. The program is a one-week course in the operations of government and the political process. Each citizen, as they are referred to, can choose one of six career paths. These paths are: Legislative, Judicial, Financial, Law Enforcement, Journalism, and Homeland Security. The objective is to have the young people run the 51st state of the United States. They will elect all positions for state, county, and city government, while learning the valuable life lessons in how government works. West Virginia has the second oldest Boys State program in the nation, operating since 1936.Boys/Girls State is staffed by members and community leaders who volunteer their time and effort to this enterprise. Its administrative costs are defrayed by the Legion state organizations and local sponsors. Citizens of Boys/Girls State are selected with the help of their high school principals on the basis of potential leadership qualities and must be between their Junior and Senior years in high school to qualify. |
| Project Citizen Center for Democracy and Citizenship Education Robert Waterson, Director West Virginia University 700 Allen Hall Morgantown, WV 26506-6122 Work Phone: 304-293-3849 Email: Robert.Waterson@mail.wvu.edu | Project Citizen is a curricular program for middle, secondary, and post-secondary students, youth organizations, and adult groups that promote 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. Entire classes of students or members of youth or adult organizations work cooperatively to identify a public policy problem in their community. They then research the problem, evaluate alternative solutions, develop their own solution in the form of a public policy, and create a political action plan to enlist local or state authorities to adopt their proposed policy. Participants develop a portfolio of their work and present their project in a public hearing showcase before a panel of civic-minded community members. |
| Righting a Wrong Video Contest WV State Bar Anita Casey, Exec. Dir. 2006 Kanawha Blvd. E Charleston WV 25311 304-558-2456 | The contest is open to West Virginia public school students in grades 6 through 12 and gives participants the chance to create a video about a wrong that they would right, an injustice they would correct. Videos are judged based on originality, creativity and adherence to the theme. First, second and third place winners are chosen on both the high school and middle school levels with $1000, $500, and $250 prizes awarded. |
| Robes to Schools Kandi Greter, Public Education Coordinator WV Supreme Court of Appeals State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; phone: 304-558-0145; fax: 304-558-1212; | The goal of Robes to Schools is to have as many of our jurists as possible – active and retired justices, circuit judges, family court judges and magistrates – make regular appearances in West Virginia schools. Judicial officers will volunteer to participate in Read Aloud programs in elementary schools and join a new speaker's bureau to talk to elementary, middle and high school classes about the judicial system. See http://www.state.wv.us/wvsca/kidspage/RobesCover.htm |
| VolunteerWV.org volunteer opportunities database Volunteer WV Lisa Tignor, Coordinator 710 Central Ave. Charleston, WV 25302 304-588-0111 | VolunteerWV.org is an online database that matches people who want to volunteer with organizations that need volunteers. Matches are made on the basis of interest, location, and availability. Citizens of all ages can browse the database to find opportunities in their area and sign up to receive email notices when opportunities matching their interests are added to the database. Organizations that need volunteers can sign on as affiliates and recruit volunteers. Volunteers and organizations may use the database to record and track volunteer hours. |
| We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Rebecca Tinder State Coordinator Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love LLP 600 Quarrier St Charleston, WV 25301-2121 Email: rtinder@bowlesrice.com | The Center for Civic Education provides free sets of materials to teachers wishing to participate in the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program. The text material in “We the People” provides a vivid and thorough understanding of the principles which support our way of governing. They also provide summer institutes to teachers to effectively use the material. After regional and statewide competitions, which are judged by lawyers and members of the state’s judiciary, a high school team is selected to be West Virginia’s representative in the We, the People national event in Washington, DC, in April. This program is an excellent opportunity for high school students to learn about constitutional rights and responsibilities and then discuss these issues before panels of judges. |
| WV Board of Education student board representative Virginia Harris Executive Secretary WV Board of Education 304-558-3660 | Every year, the WV Board of Education selects West Virginia high school students to serve as non-voting student representatives. Students participate in school board meetings to bring student perspectives to the board’s deliberations. |
| WV Dept. of Education Joey Wiseman, state social studies Coordinator Bldg 6, room 603 Charleston, WV 25305-0330 | The WV Dept. of Education website is a comprehensive guide to parents, educators, administrators and students in the state of West Virginia. State standards for civic knowledge and skills are posted, as well as many tools and resources for civic education. |
| Youth in Government High School 8th grade Charlie Myers HI-Y Leadership center P.O. Box 239 Pt. Pleasant, WV 25550 304-675-5899 | Youth in Government begins each September in high schools throughout the state. Training conferences are held in November and June. In April, months of study and preparation culminate in a 3-day student legislative and supreme court session using actual legislative and court facilities at the State Capitol. Youth serve as delegates and senators, justices, officers, lobbyists, and press in order to act on youth-written legislative proposals. |
| Youth Leadership Academy WV Sheriffs’ Association Rudi Raynes-Kidder, director PO Box 3031 Charleston WV 25331 304-345-2232 | The West Virginia Sheriffs’ Youth Leadership Academy is an annual, 6-day residential summer program for teenage citizens from throughout the state. The Academy seeks to deter risk-taking behavior patterns by introducing the participants to recreation alternatives and educating them on the negative consequences of drugs, alcohol, and violence. The Academy provides youth with the leadership skills necessary for them to go back to their home communities and help others deal with these challenges. The Academy also encourages participation in citizenship activities and teaches responsibility. A typical schedule will include a mock trial and mock elections, investigation techniques, cultural sensitivity, peer group discussions. |
| Youth Leadership Initiative Mock Election WV Secretary of State’s Office Sean Hill | The Secretary of State’s office partners with the national Youth Leadership Initiative to participate in the only statewide mock elections. Students may vote online or with paper ballots. Schools need a teacher to be registered with YLI in order for students to participate. See www.youthleadership.net to register. |
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