Renton Prep Students Win the 2018 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest

This year two Renton Prep students won first and third places in the 2018 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest. Representing the Western District of Washington, Julien Johnson and Afomeya Hailu won in two different categories, essay and video. The Ninth Circuit Civics Contest is a competition that targets high school students. And it requires the participants to submit an essay and a video that focuses on a specific topic. This year, students needed to write an essay and create a video answering the question “The 14th Amendment 150 after Ratification: What Does Equal Protection Mean to Students?”

Ninth Circuit Civics Contest Winners

Afomeya is a freshman at Renton Prep. She and her team won the first place in the video category. In her video she comments on the 14th Amendment and how education and gender inclusiveness has evolved through the years. Also, she gives examples of cases where the equal protection clause was violated in the last century. The Ninth Circuit Civics Contest illustrates the students’ understanding and reflection of the 14th Amendment through history and today. Finally, Afomeya expresses in her video how this amendment allows her to do things that were not possible 50 years ago.

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Our next winner is Julien, a ninth grader at Renton Prep. He won third place in the essay and video competition. For his video, Julien found inspiration in Maya Angelou’s poem “The Caged Bird.” Also, his video shows images and clips of influential historical moments, while he reads the poem. The text and the visual content conveys the message that we continue to strive for equality and acceptance.

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The winners not only win the recognition of being selected as representatives of their region, but also some monetary prizes. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington offered money prizes to the top three finishers in the competition. These incentives are motivating and encouraging for students from all regions.

Renton Prep Encourages Students to Express Themselves

Here at Renton Prep, we encourage our students to express themselves through the use of technology and creativity. The results of this contest mirror our approach to learning where the fostering of new ideas and ingenuity is celebrated. Please visit our blog to see more of our students’ achievements and how they put their skills to practice. Also, contact us to get more information about enrolling your child in our school.