Charleston, W. Virginia The first event, “Civic Education: Now More Than Ever,” aimed to educate students and adults alike about the importance of civic education and practicing good citizenship in today’s society.
The event, hosted by the West Virginia Civic Coalition, was held at the state Cultural Center on Monday and served as a way to kick off and celebrate Civic Learning Week, March 11-March 15.
The inaugural civics event featured a number of guest speakers, including Chief Justice Tim Armistead, U.S. District Judge Erin Berger, and West Virginia Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mac Warner.
They all spoke about the importance of voting rights and other steps people can take to be good American and West Virginian citizens, as well as how they are inspired to serve people in the state.
Armistead was the first to speak Monday. He is Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the state's highest court that hears appeals from decisions on all matters in the intermediate court of appeals, from among various circuit court appeals regarding criminal matters and cases requiring interpretation of statutes of West Virginia and the U.S. Constitutions.
Armistead said the Supreme Court justices not only take seriously the need to do their work in maximum conformity with the law, but they also want to focus their efforts on inspiring young people toward a career in service to the people and the law as well.
“We think it's important to thank our teachers every day in the classroom who teach civics to our students, so it was important for us to be here today and it was our pleasure to share some of our background with the students and hopefully inspire them,” he said. “They serve, too.” “.
However, he added that even if a person does not go into public service, civics is still an important subject that everyone should learn and put into practice as they consider what it means to obtain U.S. citizenship and the various duties that come with it. .
“I think it's important that they understand the history of our country, the sacrifices that have been made to get us where we are today, the duties they have as citizens to vote, to serve on juries, and to understand the protections they have under our laws and the Constitution,” Armistead said.
The event also included voting machines that allowed for hands-on learning in the voting process, a scavenger hunt that helped people learn more about the various constitutional amendments in a fun way, and a depiction of West Virginia native and former U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph, who was the 11th sponsor of the Constitution Amendment giving citizens Those between the ages of 18 and 21 have the right to vote.
Other speakers during Monday's event included Tanya Baldwin and Erika Klose of the West Virginia Department of Education, Dale Lee of the West Virginia Education Association, and with the American Federation of Teachers of West Virginia, Fred Albert.
Ella Waters, a student at Hedgesville High School in Berkeley County, and Michael Niggeymer, a student at Grafton High School in Taylor County, will also speak at the event representing the Youth Leadership Association of West Virginia.
Both Waters and Nigemeyer said the event was very inspiring for them as they plan to move into a position in public service one day, and they both agreed it is good to hear from those who are already serving.
“Listening to their experiences and any advice I can get from them, it's really great to see them this morning,” Waters said.
“It's a really great honor to hear from some of our government officials now and how they've helped their communities, how they look at their jobs and some of their experiences, how they really see from us, being inspired by us, that's really important because it makes us feel like we've seen more,” said Nijmeyer.
Waters was speaking in his capacity as West Virginia Youth Governor for the event. She said she aspires to one day start her career in the Senate and eventually work her way up to the governorship.
Nigemeyer said he plans to either sit for a seat in the House of Delegates or the state Senate, but eventually wants to become a foreign diplomat and serve the country from abroad.
Waters said she believes civics is important because it affects everyone on the most basic levels.
“What our students eat for lunch, basic things like that are all dependent on our vote, our advocacy and your influence in government, as a whole, so any civic engagement that anyone does is to improve our state and our country, and I think that's very empowering,” Waters said.
It also allows people to make decisions that improve their communities, Nigemeyer said.
“I think the majority of people in the world want their society to be the best place it can be, and civics allows them to do that, and voting and deciding what happens in your community is a great opportunity we have through the Constitution of the United States has been improved and updated over the years,” Nighmeyer said. Through amendments that allow all residents of the United States to vote.”
The West Virginia Civic Coalition states that their goal is to strengthen K-12 civic education in schools, as well as seek improvements to policies and practices surrounding civic learning.
