Contact:  Beth Specker, Executive Director, Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement

On behalf of The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement, I am happy to invite you to enter your class into the 2020 Commonwealth Citizenship Challenge. Due to COVID 19, this year’s Challenge is an essay contest only – with no in-person final presentations. But the contest does provide an excellent opportunity for you to explore the election and the electoral college with your students.

This Year’s Challenge Question:   “Should the Constitution be amended to eliminate the Electoral College system for selecting the President and be replaced with the national popular vote?”

As you know,  the Challenge  is a unique opportunity for 4 and 5th grade classes to express themselves by answering a civics essay question regarding a current issue facing our democracy. Classroom teams and individuals are asked to write an essay that addresses their point of view on the assigned issue. Teams take one position and defend their argument in a concise written document of a minimum of 300 words. The contest is drawn from PA Civics standards relating to principles and documents of government; rights and responsibilities of citizens; and information on how government works. From all entries submitted ten finalists will be selected and invited to read their essay on PCN in December. This years contest is open to schools from across the Commonwealth.

Annual Prizes

• 1 GRAND PRIZE of $1,000: The first place school will receive a check to be used toward a program that promotes civics learning and engagement across the student body.
• 4 RUNNER-UP PRIZES of $500: Each of the three runner-up schools will receive a check to be used toward a program that promotes civics learning and engagement across the student body.

Now is the time to get your 4th or 5th grade class involved! Our submission deadline is November 1, 2020. 

The Rendell Center looks forward to receiving your 2020 submission.. If you have any questions or need additional guidance, please email me directly at bspecker@rendellcenter.org.  Email me for lessons to help you begin your discussions. Please check out our new Presidential Lesson pages