Education Committee Program, 2024-2025
- Build on the successful efforts of our 2020 and 2023 Civics Challenge by organizing and promoting community-wide civics challenges. The goals of the civics challenges are to foster a greater understanding of government, increase voter participation and engagement, and build community on a non-partisan basis.
- Examine how the Newton Public Schools (NPS) budget, policies, and program meet the needs of Newton’s diverse student population.
- Engage members and inform the Board on local, state, and national education positions related to goals of the League.
Coming Soon …. LWVN’s Third Newton Civics Challenge!
The Education Committee is hoping to hold its third Civics Challenge sometime in March 2025. Stay tuned!
Here is information from the April 30, 2023 Newton Civics Challenge:
- Register now!
- View event flyer
- Event format and rules
- Sample questions and a list of helpful team resources
Read about LWVN’s Inaugural Newton Civics Challenge, held March 1, 2020
On March 1, 2020, we held our inaugural Civics Challenge at the Cabot School cafeteria. The Civics Challenge, formatted like a trivia quiz, included three general rounds and one final round of multiple choice, true/false, and open response questions on topics including: the constitution; federal, state, and local government, history, and current events. We also had two “special” rounds with a focus on the Massachusetts presidential primary and the women’s suffrage movement in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment.
9 teams participated, consisting of family and community groups, middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students, teachers from NSHS, and a group from the Newton TAB. All participants received pocket constitutions, and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners earned prizes of gift certificates to local retail establishments. The 1st place winners also earned a special prize of the tour of the State House, generously donated by our state legislators.
City Councilor Josh Krintzman and former Board of Alderman President Brooke Lipsitt were our informative and entertaining masters of ceremony. Our judges for the afternoon included Courtney Rau Rogers (LWV Norwood president and Bigelow Middle School vice-principal), and Board members Linda Morrison and Sue Flicop. Several city councilors (Alicia Bowman, Brenda Noel), Board members, and general league members helped out as enthusiastic “team liaisons.” The cost of the event was funded almost entirely by a donation from the Village Bank.
Read about LWVN’s Second Newton Civics Challenge, held April 30, 2023
In line with the League’s main objectives of educating citizens about their civic responsibilities and to increase participation in government, LWVN held its second Civics Challenge on April 30th at the Cabot School.
Four teams participated, including some recent college graduates, a team of seniors, and an extraordinary family team composed of a mother and her precocious third grade son who knew almost as many of the answers as the adults did. We were extremely fortunate to have former LWVN president Sue Flicop serve as our judge for the event, and School Committee member Kathy Shields graciously volunteered to act as our timekeeper.
We want to thank the Village Bank for its support of the event; Congressman Jake Auchnicloss for the donation of the pocket constitutions which were given to all participants; State Senator Cynthia Creem and Representatives Ruth Balser & Kay Khan for donating a tour of the State House to our participants.