ENGAGING TOMORROW'S LEADERS
Civics Education Initiative
The APS Civics Education Initiative expands APS’ mission into local schools through a custom-developed civics curriculum and partnership with educators, students and administrators at both the high school and college level.
HIGH SCHOOL
“I absolutely loved being able to talk to the journalists and being able to learn more about the process of creating news. I think journalism gets taken for granted often by the populous, so getting to speak to the people who do it was very humanizing. It taught me a lot about the genuine work that goes into curating news.” -CEI Student Participant
Through three curriculum units, delivered in the Fall semester, students in the APS Civics Education Initiative receive civility training, engage in classroom discussions and critically assess the impact of today’s media on civic discourse.
One focus in 2022 was the “fact-based” commitment in APS’ mission. Students report that it often seems individuals are at liberty to “choose” their own facts.
APS staff was also able to leverage the organization’s membership in the Kansas City Media Collective along with relationships with local news outlets, The Kansas City Star and KCTV 5, to bring journalists into partner classrooms. Journalists spoke with students about ethical standards in journalism and what it’d been like reporting on news during hyper-polarized times.
Students were able to engage with each journalist and inquire about other aspects of their role and experience in the news industry. Studies have shown that this type of engagement and access to local journalists increases trust in local news.
“It was really eye-opening how much journalists are out to support the communities they are involved in.” -CEI Student Participant
local students received the CEI curriculum for the 2022-23 school year
participating high schools
included Belton High School, Guadalupe Centers High School, Lee's Summit West High School, Notre Dame de Sion, Oak Hill Day School, Olathe North High School, Shawnee Mission North High School and University Academy
curriculum units covered:
"Can you agree to disagree better?"
"How do we identify misinformation, disinformation and evaluate bias? Even our own?"
"Are you debating or deliberating?"
Student Ambassadors also participated in the project-based learning opportunity, planning the Spring 2022 program, "Erasing the Red Lines: Are our schools embracing the future or embodying the past?"
High School Highlights
Student Program Spotlight
"Erasing the Red Lines: Are our schools embracing the future or embodying the past?"
Educator Testimony
Q&A with Joni Harrell, Belton High School educator and CEI partner
With gratitude
to the journalists, educators and partners who offered their time and expertise to enrich the CEI program.
COLLEGE
APS college interns, based at William Jewell College, work together to increase civic engagement on campus by hosting events and offering peers opportunities to convene and discuss pressing local, regional, and national issues.
The work done on campus by APS interns is an important extension of APS programming. Frequently, panelists who travel to Kansas City for a program also spend time on campus to meet with students and share insights on their area of expertise.
2022 Campus Event Highlights
- Seed giveaway event to promote APS Program, “The Politics of Mother Nature”
- 2022 Midterm Election Night Watch Party
- Post-election debrief with Mark Johnson, election attorney
- Meet and Greet with Robert Costa, CBS News Correspondent and the 2022 Evening at the Square featured guest
APS 2022 College Interns
- Casey Booth, Institutions & Policy and History Major
- Teresa Mainzer, Institutions & Policy, International Relations and Economics Majors
- Ashlyn Stellar, Nonprofit Leadership and Spanish Major
- Timothy Tasler, Rising College Freshman from Park Hill High School
- Tatyana Turner, Political Science Major and Communication and Philosophy Minors
“My experience with APS was fantastic. Working with passionate and pleasant colleagues and staff to create productivity community-wide dialogue was a great opportunity and one that I’m very fortunate for.” -Timothy Tasler, APS intern - 2022
SPOTLIGHT
Intern Event: Intergenerational Bridge-Building during National Week of Conversation
In April 2022, APS college interns organized an evening of intergenerational bridge building, in partnership with the KC Public Library and Consensus KC.
Participants included current William Jewell students and older Kansas Citians. The goals for the evening were to:
- Inspire hope and desire to connect and understand.
- Equip participants with skills, opportunities, and courage to build bridges across divides.
- Normalize listening to understand, extending grace, and seeking common interests.
A few participants shared these thoughts:
- “Humans don’t thrive unless we connect.”
- “We need exposure to different perspectives and right now we seem to have blinders on.”
- "We made a connection on something we had in common."
William Jewell Course, "Campaigns and Elections" by Allan Katz
The course, open to the public, as well as William Jewell students and staff, was also offered at a special rate to APS Members.
SPOTLIGHT
Campaigns and Elections: What really matters?
In partnership with William Jewell, APS CEO, Allan Katz led a special lecture series in the Fall of 2022 called, “Campaigns and Elections: What Really Matters?”
The series welcomed special guests Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont; Kevin Madden, spokesman for the Romney Presidential Campaign in 2012; Terry Nelson, a leading political consultant; and Margaret Talev, political editor of Axios.