What happens when you allow students to put the skills they have learned from iCivics games into real-life practice? Civic magic! 

This school year, students in iCivics Educator Network member Shelina Warren’s class at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington D.C. co-designed their own peer-to-peer court. Inspired by our game, We the Jury, Shelina’s students served as lawyers, judges, and jurors and heard cases from classmates. Excited by this innovative approach, Soledad O’Brien featured the project in her latest Matter of Fact segment.

According to Shelina, the hope is to expand the program and try real student cases next school year, noting, "When you put [students] in the driver's seat, you allow them to see it from a certain point of view. They see things differently." 

Watch the segment and send us a tweet about the ways you are providing your students with more opportunities to use their voices for positive school-wide change. Our great thanks to Mikvah Challenge for their work with Shelina's students on developing this pilot project.

You can also explore the iCivics Educator Network. Each fall, we recruit a diverse group of passionate educators to serve as ambassadors for iCivics and help promote Justice O’Connor’s charge to ensure that every student receives a high-quality civic education. Applications open soon!