NP3 High Receives Civic Learning Award

By Morsal Abdali
Copy Editor | The Pacific Times

California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero is scheduled to visit NP3 today, Oct. 28 to present the Civic Learning Award of Excellence to NP3 High and Middle schools.

Both schools were selected for the award which honors academic programs that integrate civic education into their curriculum and engage students in civics.

To be considered for the Civic Learning Award of Excellence, schools submit applications that describe how they incorporate the six research-based proven practices in civic learning. These include school programs and activities that encourage civic engagement and connect the curriculum to government, civic duties, law, and policy. 

These applications are “…reviewed and scored by a panel of judges comprising representatives from the California courts and the California Department of Education (CDE) who are not tied to counties or districts in the pool,” said California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond in a statement released at the time the awardees were announced.

The Chief Justice of California and State Superintendent of Public Instruction co-sponsor the Civic Learning Awards for California public schools. This year’s recipients were announced in May.

NP3 High School has long included civics in its K-12 education programs. According to NP3 High principal Melissa Mori the school is known as a law-themed charter school with various civic-based classes that students are required to take. Classes such as Criminal Law, Social Justice, and Civil Law are all a part of the NP3 High School curriculum. 

In the application for the Civic Learning Awards, NP3 High School pointed to high school programs and senior projects such as a voter registration drive. Mentioned in the application was the school’s participation in Operation Protect and Defend, a program meant to improve high schoolers knowledge about their Constitutional rights and civic responsibilities under the Constitution, as well as visits from local judges and lawyers to government classes and real DUI court presentations. 

Also included was the requirement for 10th and 11th-grade students to participate in a mock trial as part of Criminal Law and Civil Law classes, which allow students to engage in the judicial and legal processes. NP3 High School also has a Mock Trial competitive team which is ranked second among 25 area high schools in Sacramento County.

“It is incredibly important for students to graduate knowing that they do have power in their voice…We want students to be educated and informed on not only the issues but the process,” said Mori. “We know that regardless of what political affiliation students have in order for democracy to continue to function, we need students to participate and vote.” 

Previous Civic Learning Awards:
2013 Civic Learning Award of Distinction — NP3 High School
2014 Civic Learning Award of Distinction — NP3 High School
2016 Civic Learning Award of Excellence — NP3 High School
2017 Civic Learning Award of Excellence — NP3 High School
2018 Civic Learning Award of Merit — NP3 Elementary School
2020 Civic Learning Award of Distinction — NP3 Middle School
2023 Civic Learning Award of Merit — NP3 High & NP3 Middle schools
2024 Civil Learning Award of Excellence — NP3 High & NP3 Middle schools