BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE AND ICIVICS ANNOUNCE FIRST ROUND OF WINNERS IN CIVIC STAR CHALLENGE, AN A250 INITIATIVE

Sixty-three educators have been awarded for integrating themes from the Declaration of Independence in their teaching in lead-up to nation's 250th anniversary.

ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Bill of Rights Institute and iCivics have named the first round of winners of the Civic Star Challenge, a nationwide initiative to inspire millions of acts of civic learning in the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The Civic Star Challenge makes the teaching of the Declaration of Independence digestible and relatable to today’s youth by providing educators with a repository of adaptable lesson plans and activities that teach the key themes of the founding document. The resources are available at civicstarchallenge.org. Once educators have taught at least one of 11 themes, they can submit a log of their activities for a chance to win cash prizes totaling more than $200,000.

The Challenge includes four rounds of random drawings, each awarding $300 to selected teachers, and an essay contest that has a $10,000 grand prize for the winning teacher’s school district.

Today, the 63 winners of the first round of drawings have been announced. The teachers represent more than 25 states.

“The Civic Star Challenge honors the educators who keep America’s founding principles alive in their classrooms,” said David Bobb, President and CEO of the Bill of Rights Institute. “Their work reminds us that civic knowledge and virtue are essential to sustaining liberty for the next generation and to helping students see their role in preserving a free society.”

“The celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is an incredible moment to engage in the teaching of our founding documents and in civic education in general – and this has never been more critical,” iCivics CEO Louise Dubé said. “We’re proud to be able to reward teachers for their efforts to connect the themes and ideals from the Declaration to the present.”

The winners are listed below:

Meredith Baker
Andrea Bauck
Jason Bennett
Nicole Bloodgood
Laura Bowersox
Patricia Capobianco
Stacey Clark
Allison Collie
Rachel Cox
Jessica Culver
Scott Cvelbar
Deborah Damboise
Marin Fairbanks
Taneeta Fair
Lauren Feld
Kristina Fischer
Jami Forrester
Randall Furash-Stewart
Jayme Gafford
Nicole Gasparik
Heaven Gomez
Andrew Gordon
Donna Gustafson
Evelyn Homan
Jeanette Hooks
Andrew Hutchinson
Andrea Jandt
Lindsay Kahoe
Samantha Keaton
Bridget Kaiser-Munday
Kennady Longhurst
Jeffrey Maendel
Laura McFarren
Amanda Meyer
Austin Migoski
Lindsay Miller
Katrina Neubrandt
Rachel Newman
Jackie Osborne
Beth Oswald
Michelle Palmer
Patrick Pavelchik
Victoria Pierce
Samantha Rumbaugh
Amanda Runkel
Anne Schmitt
Tiffany Smith
Tracy Son
Donna Stark
Adeline Steger
Adam Sturm
John Suter
Rachel Tate
Hailey Thomas
Deborah Torrens
Sam Westerdale
Holly Wittwer
Daryl Workman
Bryon Wren
Kymberli Wregglesworth
Nicole Wright
Blanche Wulfekoetter
Greg Yarnall

ABOUT iCIVICS
Founded in 2009 by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing civic learning by providing educators and students with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to embrace and engage in our civic life together. iCivics empowers educators and leads the movement to make civic education a nationwide priority so all young people have the confidence to shape the world around them and believe in our country's future. To learn more, visit www.icivics.org.

ABOUT BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE
The Bill of Rights Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to advance civic and history education through market-leading curricula and programs for educators and students. To learn more, visit www.mybri.org.

Ally Silva
Bill of Rights Institute
+1 703-915-2949
asilva@mybri.org

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