Freedom of Speech Video Contest Gives Students a Voice

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Creative students could win as much as $500 for developing a video about the U.S. Constitution as part of a video contest sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education and the West Virginia State Bar.

Participants are asked to create a 3-minute video with the theme “We the People: Freedom of Speech.” The contest is open to West Virginia public school students in grades 6 – 12. Entries will be divided by middle school and high school. First place in each category receives $500, while second place wins $250. The creators of the first place videos also will be invited to attend the West Virginia State Bar’s annual meeting on May 9 at the Sheraton Four Points in Charleston.

Videos will be judged based on originality, creativity, adherence to the theme and overall quality. Entries must include parental permission for those under the age of 18. Students interested in entering the contest can fill out an application as well as read the rules at http://wvde.state.wv.us/wvstatebar. Submissions for 2014 will be accepted from Feb. 17 to April 4.

For more information, contact Joyce Morton with the West Virginia State Bar at 304-641-2127 or jhm26288@me.comor the WVDE Office of Communication at 304-558-2699.

On behalf of iCivics

College Board Makes Changes to SAT Test

IMPORTANT NEWS

Subject: College Board changing the SAT Exam

On March 5th, the College Board announced that it will be redesigning the SAT® exam in 2016. Among the changes, the exam will now include civics-based reading and writing passages.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, our founder and Board Chair, spoke with the College Board about this exciting announcement.

Learn more about the SAT® changes announced today through this video featuring Justice O’Connor.

The new SAT exam will require students to analyze documents from social science sources and support their answers with evidence. As the College Board explains “Each exam will include a passage drawn from the Founding Documents of America or the Great Global Conversation they inspire.” We’re glad the College Board has shown this commitment to civics.

As always, iCivics will continue its mission to provide engaging and effective civic learning resources to students and teachers across the country.

Thank you,

Jeff Curley

Executive Director, iCivics

July 15 – July 17, 2014

Waterfront Place, Morgantown, WV

Call for Proposals:

We are pleased to announce the tenth annual West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference will be held
July 15 – July 17, 2014 at The Waterfront Place Hotel and Morgantown Event Center.

The WVSTC 2014 conference committee welcomes proposals for concurrent session presentations. Our goal
is to accept proposals that will be of interest to a wide range of constituents including K-12 education, higher
education, and state agencies. For a list of suggested topics see the ‘Call for proposals’ link.

Submit all proposals on or before April 11, 2014 using the official Presentation Proposals Submission Form
available at conference.wvnet.edu. The program committee will review all proposal entries to establish
the conference program.

Watch for email announcements with participant and exhibitor registration details. As a reminder to exhibitors,
all presenting vendor representatives must be included in the exhibitor registration for the conference.

We look forward to working with participants and stakeholders to make this another successful conference.

Thank you.

West Virginia Statewide Technology Committee

Robert “Joey” Wiseman Jr.

Assistant Director

Office of Secondary Learning

Instructional Materials

Social Studies

2014 County Government Essay Contest

April is “National County Government Month” and the County Commissioners’ Association of WV (CCAWV) is hosting our 3^rd annual essay contest for 8th grade students across West Virginia.

There will be a monetary prizes for 1^st,  2^nd, and 3^rd place student winners. There will also be a monetary prize for the 1^stplace winner’s Teacher to be used for classroom activities.  1^st Place Student will receive $300 and teacher will receive $300.   2^nd place Student – $250 and 3^rd place Student – $150.

One of CCAWV’s goals is to increase information and public awareness about county government and the office of County Commissioner.  As an initiative of this goal we are excited to partner with West Virginia educators to encourage students to learn and write about their local county governing body, the County Commission.  (Teachers, for your convenience, we are attaching our brochure about county commission responsibilities.)

Student participants are asked to type a 500-word essay on the topic…..

CCAWV County Government Essay Contest Rules 2013

1. The contest is open to all 8^th grade students who are enrolled in a West Virginia public or private school.
2. The contest deadline is 5 p.m. on April 21, 2014 (see No. 8).
3. Each essay is limited to a maximum of 500 words and a minimum of 400 words and must address the following question: “How does my county commission make life better for me?” The essay must address specifically the county commission of the county in which the student resides.
4. Each student is limited to one entry.
5. Each teacher must completely fill out an official application form (attached). Please submit each entry individually as a Word or PDF document with a copy of the application form attached.
6. All entries must contain the student’s name, email address, and the county name in which the essay is about.
7. All entries must be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format and must be submitted by the student’s teacher.
8. All entries must be emailed to Vivian@ccawv.org prior to 5 p.m. on April 21, 2014.
9. The winning essay will be announced by April 30, 2014.
10. The 1^st place student will receive $300, and the teacher who submitted the 1^st place essay will receive $300 to be used for classroom activities
11. The 2^nd place student will receive $250 and the 3^rd place student will receive $150.
12. The winning students and his/her teachers will be invited to a County Commissioners meeting in their home county to receive their awards.
13. The 1^st place winning essay will be published in Commissioners’ Corner, CCAWV’s official publication, and posted on the CCAWV website, (www.ccawv.org).
14. Essays will be judged on the following criteria: understanding of the role of county commission; grammar and spelling; clarity and organization of thought.
15. By entering the contest, each student and teacher agrees to allow his/her name to be used in a news release announcing the contest winner in the event that their essay is selected as a winning essay. In addition, they agree to allow their photograph to be published in the Commissioners’ Corner and on the CCAWV Web site.
16. Entries will not be returned.

Nominations are still open for the 77^th Annual Boys State

http://mountaineerboysstate.org/

Who: WV High School Juniors
What: The American Legion Mountaineer Boys State
When: June 8, 2014 – June 14, 2014
Where: WVU Jackson’s Mill
Why: Teach good government through participation
How: Contact your local American Legion Post

2014 West Virginia High School Packet

2014 West Virginia American Legion Post Packet
2014 ALMBS Application

Robert “Joey” Wiseman Jr.

Assistant Director

Office of Secondary Learning

Instructional Materials

Social Studies