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After lunch raised their blood sugar Friday, students at Andrew Jackson School, 1213 S. 12th St., had their heart rates increased courtesy of a rousing visit from former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
The 81-year-old icon, already familiar with novelty through her time as the first female member of the federal government’s highest judicial body, swore in Jackson’s initial student council. She capped her stay by announcing a national civics contest the Passyunk Square school’s youngsters are eager to win.
The revelry occurred a day before Constitution Day, a celebration of the 224th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Independence Mall’s National Constitution Center aims to promote awareness and comprehension of the document and devised O’Connor’s journey to Jackson through the Verizon Foundation.
“Last year we started putting emphasis on civics,” second-year principal Lisa Ciaranca-Kaplan, formerly of 21st and Ritner streets, said of enhancing her learners’ engagement through a couple courses. “I believe our action was a clincher for the Constitution Center.”
The eight-year-old facility includes O’Connor on its board of trustees and served as the site for her 2003 receipt of the Liberty Medal. Before venturing to see many of Jackson’s 400 students, the Texas native, who retired from the Court five years ago, presided over the naturalization of 48 new citizens at the center.
The school community learned only recently of its selection as the host site for O’Connor to discuss the Civics Impact Challenge. Nevertheless, Ciaranca-Kaplan and her charges were the picture of preparation when she arrived shortly after 1 p.m. She passed a placard with the preamble to the institution’s constitution to enter a first-floor kindergarten classroom. The excited pupils waited patiently, as Mike Koren, a Wisconsin educator and 2010 winner of the National Middle School Teacher of the Year Award from the National Council for the Social Studies, interviewed the ebullient elder for Verizon’s Thinkfinity Education Speaker Series.
“I like for students to learn how to think,” she said as a lamentation against the dropping of civics as a curriculum component in numerous states.
To counter the decline, she created Our Courts, a website with interactive civics lessons, in February 2009. Her brainchild became iCivics in May ’10, and its resources have assisted more than two million scholars across the country. Studies detailing the time children spend looking at computer and television screens inspired O’Connor to let educational outcomes rival other pursuits.
“I need only one hour to make things happen for a student,” she said of upping democracy-fueled ambition.
Seven topics, including The Judicial Branch, comprise the iCivics offerings. Upon choosing a theme, users peruse subcategories and test their knowledge of the land’s laws. Because of Jackson’s racial diversity, Ciaranca-Kaplan said she feels iCivics helped students to learn of a government that may be entirely new to them. O’Connor, one of the principal’s influences, sees involvement as a means to prove no citizen is helpless.
“You do count,” she iterated to the nation’s budding minds while stressing the need to add one’s stance to any massive issue’s chronicles.
After concluding with Koren, O’Connor welcomed 35 sets of bright eyes into the room. The owners represented the winners of last week’s elections, and they listened as she discussed the contest and their communal roles.
Open to fifth- through 12th-graders, the challenge lets students earn points through playing iCivics’ 14 games. It spans from Oct. 3 to Nov. 30, with the winning class receiving a VGo telepresence robot. The gadget will let learners enjoy multicultural learning experiences with international colleagues, permit homebound students to join classroom activities and take virtual field trips to educational facilities. A virtual visit from O’Connor rounds out the benefits.
“Go for the prize, but you don’t need another visit from me,” she said to laughter.
She discussed career paths, revealing cattle ranching appealed to her prior to falling for the legal world. She told the rapt participants to feel willing to take on multiple tasks in their neighborhoods.
“You don’t need to be famous,” she said. “You just need to care about something and be involved.”
To bolster its enthusiasm for addressing social issues, the Verizon Foundation is funding the challenge through a $20,000 grant.
“We want to boost civics discussions,” Al Browne, national director and vice president of education and technology, said.
The Jackson contingent had no qualms about entering the civics realm, as the youngsters shot up their right hands and voiced words akin to those of the oath of office of the president of the United States. Lending her energy to the excited throng, O’Connor clapped for the children, with two fortunate youths presenting her with a bouquet of roses.
“They’re beautiful,” O’Connor, whose post-Supreme Court career has included the acceptance of many accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in ’09, said.
Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of her Senate confirmation, so she found herself last week reflecting on the next generation of history makers.
“Let’s see if you can win,” she said to her potential judicial successors.
A jaguar serves as Jackson’s mascot, so the students sent her off by curling their hands to resemble paws, waving their makeshift mitts to symbolize their Positive Attitudes Winning Success motto and club.
“The passion for civics has spread, and we thank you, Justice O’Connor, for your presence,” Ciaranca-Kaplan said.
Proud of her students’ diligence in staging elections and drafting the preamble, the leader expressed fervor for further civic involvement. The student body wants to convince the School District of Philadelphia to close schools for future Constitution Day celebrations, her site includes a faculty senate, and the pupils should have their constitution complete by December. Friday’s lessons called on students to construct resolutions to any in-school problems.
Upon O’Connor’s departure, many inaugurated leaders headed to the second floor computer lab to work on civics chores. The program’s lessons are not elements of the district’s curriculum, but technology teacher and dean of students Marc Levinson noted the games’ point allowances can let him use the students’ efforts as assessments.
“The ease of use is quite nice,” he said as eighth-graders Andrew Rohrbach and Samira Thomas increased their wisdom.
“I like Law Craft,” Rohrbach, of 12th and Federal streets, said of The Legislative Branch game that lets users become members of Congress.
He felt a sense of pride from welcoming O’Connor, as did Thomas, of 11th and Bainbridge streets.
“I want us to be the winning school,” the fan of Immigrant Nation, a citizenship and participation game that teaches the path to citizenship, said. “We just have to keep everybody on track.”
Teachers may enroll classes by visiting www.icivics.org/impact-challenge-2011, and anyone can access the curriculum by going to www.icivics.org/games. Ciaranca-Kaplan, already highly respectful of O’Connor, whose interview will air Sept. 27 on www.thinkfinity.org/speakerseries, for her past, loves what the retiree is doing for the present and the future.
“She has given them a gift that will last for the rest of their lives,” she said. “She was a hero to me before; now, she is an even bigger one.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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