To participate in the Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, seniors in US Government & Economics teacher Joseph Juliano’s class will be creating a video or essay on what the 28th Amendment should be. Three winners within the Las Vegas area will be chosen by district courts to be entered in the regional Ninth Circuit contest.

“The Ninth Circuit is our regional federal appeals court here on the west coast,” Juliano said. “Every year they hold a civics contest based on a chosen theme for the year, every year the theme is different. It is a way for our federal courts to have some outreach and get involved in education within schools.”

First, second and third place winners will be awarded with cash prizes up to $3k, and will be honored with a ceremony at the district court. The first place winner will also receive a fully-paid trip to the Judicial Conference. 

“The question is very open-ended and gives students the ability to think creatively and critically about what direction they want to take,” Juliano said. “Ultimately they judge it on how well students understand the government and how the constitution works, and how they brought in some creativity and originality within their project. They want to see what students can create to show their understanding of these things.”

Students are inspired to create an Amendment that addresses current issues or conflicts in America. The project has started with a research process to give students a better understanding of their topics. 

“My proposed 28th amendment is the right to bodily autonomy, which includes abortion, the right to marry who you want, and trans and broad gender rights,” senior Nikolas Freeman said. “It has been really interesting researching and discovering the issues that I had never previously known about in the United States.”

After building a foundation the last semester, Juliano is excited to see what creative solutions to real life issues will emerge from his students.

“My favorite part is seeing my students, after being in my class for so long, think politically on their own,” Juliano said. “Last semester was very academic with our case studies where the only writing was on a very specific topic. I’m excited to see if students get a little creative and fun with their essays and especially their videos. I know we have a lot of talented artistic students, so I always like to see some of that hidden talent come out.”

This project gives students the opportunity to discover what politics mean to them. Although not everybody will have the chance to travel to the Judicial Conference,  the contest shows that each student has the freedom to develop their own political ideologies.

“Getting to pursue a topic that you are passionate about as well is one of the best parts,” Freeman said. “I have learned from the past semester that amendments are set in stone. The challenging part about this assignment is taking your idea and wording it in a way that is applicable to all people of the United States.”