Mt. Pleasant, Leechburg Area high schools honored for excellence in civic engagement
Two Pittsburgh-area high schools have been recognized by Gov. Josh Shapiro for excellence in civics education.
Presented by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award celebrates the efforts of high school students to engage, educate and inform their fellow students about involvement in the voting process.
Leechburg Area High School in Armstrong County and Mt. Pleasant Area Junior-Senior High School in Westmoreland County received gold-level awards for registering at least 85% of eligible students to vote during the 2022-23 school year.
Out of more than 1,400 high schools in Pennsylvania, only 37 were recognized.
“I like to make citizenship exciting,” said Damian Davies, a longtime Leechburg Area teacher of civics, world cultures and principles of democracy.
His yearlong principles of democracy course is required for all seniors in the district.
Dave Capozzi, 58, teaches global issues, a semesterlong course at Mt. Pleasant Area.
Both educators said they strive to make civics “fun” to learn about.
Davies often holds class outdoors, when the weather cooperates, to foster a change of scenery and promote fellowship among classmates.
“We practice our citizenship questions outside. That started with the pandemic because of social distancing and wearing masks,” Davies said. “Our goal is to keep the outdoor sessions. Everyone loves it.”
Recent Leechburg Area graduate Tyler Foley praised Davies for making learning about civics anything but boring.
“He’s hands-down one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had,” Foley said. “We had this thing called the ‘hot seat’ every day before class starts. We ask questions that would be on the citizenship exam, and the first person to answer the first question correctly would get a glowstick prize known as the ‘lighthouse award’ that most students put on their backpacks.”
Foley said students in other grades strived to earn their own glowstick.
“He kept it fun and had kids wanting to get into class to win a lighthouse award,” Foley said.
Leechburg Area High School World Cultures teacher Damian Davies conducts his class outside Friday under a flawless blue sky. @VNDNews @TribLIVE @LeechburgPride @Leechburg pic.twitter.com/gsQXwPicJC
— Joyce Hanz (@hanz_joyce) October 1, 2021
Leechburg Area seniors obtaining what Davies has dubbed the “trifecta” of citizenship are recognized individually during an awards ceremony each spring.
The trifecta award has three criteria: registering to vote, passing a financial literacy course and passing a 100-question civics exam, the same test required to become a U.S. citizen.
Davies also issues civics-related membership cards to each student, joking there’s no annual fee and it offers a lifetime membership.
This year, almost 90% of eligible seniors were registered to vote, Davies said.
When alumni encounter Davies, many of them whip out their cards and show their former teacher, something Davies said is meaningful.
“I give Leechburg Area School District a lot of credit for letting us celebrate that. We celebrate citizenship. The community can see what the students are doing,” Davies said. “If you do this young, your civics participation tends to become a habit.”
Leechburg Area School Board President Anthony Shea congratulated Davies on Monday for his commitment to civics.
“He’s most deserving of this award and represents the district well,” Shea said.
Davies is known to greet his students with music at the start of class and run a diffuser with different oils and light ambience in the classroom.
Capozzi uses current events to engage his students at Mt. Pleasant Area.
Economics teacher Scott Giacobbi partnered with Capozzi to register more than 110 seniors last year.
Students filled out online voter registration forms in class.
“It’s a testament to the kids and faculty, staff and administration to make sure we’re doing our part to put forth the next generation of voters,” said Capozzi, a teacher for 33 years. “The main thing we try to incorporate is, ‘I can’t go and make you vote, but what I can do is provide you with an easy opportunity to be a first-time voter.’ ”
Capozzi covers numerous issues during the semesterlong course, including immigration, the justice system, criminal and civil law and bill simulation.
In today’s 24/7 news cycle on social media, Capozzi said, his students are inundated with mass amounts of information.
He guides the students in discussions to help them digest the information, find a middle ground and see all sides in order to formulate their opinion.
“You are leaving here (high school), and one way to be an active member of the community is to use your voice and vote,” Capozzi tells his students. “It’s called the voting booth.”
Capozzi added that some of his former students were motivated to pursue political careers.
“Every once in a while, I hear from alumni, and they tell me they ran for an elected office. I’ve had former students come up and say, ‘Hey, thanks for giving me the opportunity,’ ” Capozzi said.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt praised the winners for their collaborative efforts to turn out more than 3,500 eligible students as registered voters.
“These prestigious awards honor high school students who engage their peers in the electoral process and empower them by ensuring their voice will be heard in determining the future of our country,” Schmidt said.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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