Inaugural Democracy Bowl highlights students’ civic engagement

JOHNSTOWN — Olivia Hay described democracy as something that must be engaged in — and she and more than 100 other students did just that Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s inaugural Democracy Bowl.

“This is really cool because I’ve never had anything this local focus on youth and government,” said Hay, 15, a Somerset Area High School sophomore. “We get to learn about it in a classroom, but democracy is a thing you can’t learn in a classroom. You have to be physically engaged in it to know how it works and how it can work in your life.”

Students from 10 schools in Cambria, Somerset, Bedford and Indiana counties attended to learn more about the civic process.

That engagement started Thursday with a greetings at Pitt-Johnstown’s Living and Learning Center by university President Jem Spectar, social sciences division Chair Raymond Wrabley and state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Bucks. Students then set off on a full day of events.

“Today, you’re taking a direct role in your government, in your future,” Spectar said. “You are stepping forward and accepting that great honor.” He also led the students in a chant: “We the people have the power; we the people can make the changes; we the people can build the future; we the people will keep this republic.”

Langerholc described the bowl as a “needed event.” He spoke about the importance of practicing bipartisanship at all levels of government, checking sources and being well-read. He also encouraged students to take part in their government.

“We need you,” Langerholc said. “We need the youth of America … to get involved in the process because you have a lot to say.”

Afterward, students broke into three groups and rotated through each of three activity areas — exhibits, trivia and campus tours.

‘Everyone needs to learn’

At the Living and Learning Center, students presented projects based on the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Greater Johnstown seventh graders Sabrea Townsend and Destini Knick worked on a project called “Uniting Trojans Together,” focused on educating people about race, nationality and ethnicity.

“We wanted to basically put it all into one project and explain what ethnicity is, what nationality is and what race is so that people really understand the difference between the topics,” Knick said.

A civics trivia competition was held at the John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and National Competitiveness.

A division of sixth through eighth grade students competed to display their democratic knowledge, and two divisions of ninth through 12th graders did the same.

Each group was asked 27 questions — a nod to the 27 amendments of the U.S. Constitution. At the end of the round, Pitt-Johnstown students collected the answers and tallied up the correct responses. Teams with the most right answers moved on to the next round.

Pitt-Johnstown provided $50 to each student Thursday and added $300 to the winners’ prize of the trivia contest.

Thursday’s event was an extension of the Civics Summit at the Richland Township campus in October, at which area educators gathered to talk civics education and brainstorm how to better prepare students to participate in the country’s democratic process.

Both gatherings were spurred by Pitt-Johnstown’s American Democracy Scholar Certificate and its K-12 school partnership, the American Civic Education and Literacy Initiative.

For Rachel Davison Humphries, senior director of civic learning initiatives at the Bill of Rights Institute, Thursday’s event was a dream come true. She said she’s always wanted a science-fair-style civics event, and the Democracy Bowl was just that.

Somerset Area teachers Christopher Zanoni and Caitlyn Urban also were impressed with the final product.

“This is how you get them active,” Youth and Government program co-adviser Zanoni said.