WNA Foundation announces 2022 Wisconsin Civics Games

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation is excited to announce the return of the Wisconsin Civics Games in 2022.

The competition, which aims to promote civics education and encourage Wisconsin high school students to develop an interest in public service, returns after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 Civics Games’ regional competitions will be held virtually on Friday, April 22. The top-performing teams will advance to the state finals on Friday, May 13, at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

Teams can sign up online at wnanews.com/wisconsin- civics-games/registration/. Participants will be sent additional resources to help prepare for the competition.

Launched by the WNA Foundation in 2018, the firstever Wisconsin Civics Games drew more than 100 students from 25 schools across the state. Platteville High School won the inaugural event and team members were awarded $2,000 toward tuition to a Wisconsin college or university.

The idea was the brainchild of Eve Galanter, a WNAF board member who previously served on the Madison Common Council and as district director for U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. She proposed the concept to the Foundation’s board of directors after learning of the increasing challenges facing municipalities that had seen a diminishing interest in public service. It was a trend that followed decades of declining civics education in schools.

Galanter’s idea coincided with the Wisconsin legislature’s adoption of a requirement that high school students to pass the U.S. citizenship test to graduate — but the mandate didn’t address how school districts should prepare students. By offering study materials and resources to participants in the Games, the Foundation was able to fill this gap.

Although COVID-19 restrictions and considerations prompted the WNAF to temporarily suspend the Civics Games, the Foundation has continued to encourage civics education and engagement through an editorial writing and cartoon contest.

Students were asked to convey their thoughts on the First Amendment through a writing sample or illustration. Thirteen students, including middle schoolers, received cash awards and the opportunity to be published by newspapers across the state.