The LWVCCA role in supporting civics projects on the Cape has been to serve as community advisors discussing projects with students at their showcase events.  We also support schools with resource documents that we have produced.  The first is the Cape Cod Civics Resource Directory for Student-Led Civics Projects and this year we produced The Cape Cod Civic Advocacy Guide: Understanding Your Government and How to Influence It, modeled after the original advocacy guide produced by the Needham League.  We do not organize civics showcases for the schools, but attend as community advisors for schools that hold showcases. As we are a regional League, we are contemplating organizing a regional event next year that will allow students across school districts on the Cape to share their projects with regional experts and elected officials. 

This year was the first year that the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School conducted their own civics showcase.  All Grade 8 and Grade 11 students complete a student-led civics project but students volunteer to present their projects in the gymnasium to community advisors that included 12 League members, and additionally, Select Board members, town department officials, and representatives from other community organizations. This showcase event lasted about two and a half hours during the school day. The school held an award ceremony. For the past three years, DY has sent teams to the Generation Citizen Showcase in Boston where teams have won awards two years.

Barnstable High School conducted their third civics showcase event for students in Grade 8 and Grade 11.  Students volunteer to present their projects in the large school library.  A dozen League members and other community leaders recruited by the school attend this day long event. Different student classes and community advisors rotate in at different times of the day. Barnstable High School follows the Generation Citizen curriculum and for the past two years attended the Generation Citizen Civics Celebration in Boston.  This year they attended the State Department of Education showcase at Bridgewater.  This picture shows BHS students discussing their project with their State Representative, Kip Diggs.

Sandwich High School has taken a different approach.  The school received a grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop curriculum for deep learning. Rather than hold a showcase exclusively for civics projects, they held a showcase for deep learning projects and some students volunteered to  present their civics projects within this showcase.  Three LWVCCA members were able to attend.