Trish Everett - 2021 Teacher of the Year
Pine Crest School – Upper - Pine Crest, Florida
Trish Everett
Teaching Impeaching
Late 2019-Present - In response to developing events in American politics, restructured the course curriculum to address constitutional origins of impeachment power in real time. Incorporating Cass Sunstein's book, "Impeachment: A Citizens' Guide" and several primary sources, designed small units of project-based learning to engage students in the ongoing historic events of the current impeachment of the president. Dr. Emma Humphries, Chief Education Officer ofiCivics, did a video Q&A on March 27th, 2020 to discuss students' projects and future implications of the evolving institution of impeachment. Another video conference is scheduled for April 14th, 2021. Students will produce children's books and citizen guides to demonstrate their understanding of the process and its implications. Students will also conduct video conferences with Christopher Riano, President of the Center for Civic Education, and Kerry Sautner, Chief Learning Officer at the National Constitution Center, on challenges of modern civic education.
Video Chat with Neal Katyal
April 24th, 2020 - Students will have a chance to engage directly with Neal Katyal, who spoke about his experiences arguing before the Supreme Court and modem challenges to constitutional principles and American institutions of government. One student wrote directly to professor Katyal afterwards, saying, "Thank you for sharing with us your experiences as a lawyer, and opinions about the constitution. I know we have many aspiring lawyers in our class who greatly appreciate your work, and it was inspiring to hear from you directly."
Video Chat with Mary Beth Tinker
April 15th, 2020 - Students had a chance to engage directly with Mary Beth Tinker, who spoke to two separate groups of students about her experience as an activist and modern challenges to free speech. Students asked questions, particularly in preparation for the annual Moot Court exercise, which specifically addressed political speech in schools.
Election Information Sessions & Mock Elections
For 2018 midterm and 2020 Democratic Primary elections, students designed and presented eight live information sessions to peers, explaining key stances of candidates and state ballot measures. Presentations were non-partisan, included visual displays, a concise handout, and live Q&A. Video about Election Information Sessions and Voting Event Students also designed a digital ballot and hosted a school-wide voting station on Election Day for students and teachers to cast their vote on candidates and ballot measures. The next day, the whole class participated in an analysis of the school election results as compared to the actual election outcomes.
Teaching Current Events
Taking an Inquiry-Based Approach to Civics in the Classroom (Re: January 6th, 2021) Club Sponsor, ACLU Club & Young Democrats