Rachel Kennedy
Mat-Su Borough

Essay Topic: How can our schools move students towards civic responsibility, i.e., becoming voters, increasing awareness of local, state, and national governments and political issues, and understanding the relationship of our history to current situations?

As I have learned in my AP Government and Politics course, civic responsibility is only fulfilled by about the top 10-20% of a graduating high school class. These students are the elite members of academia in our educational systems. My definition of the elite students is not meant to be discriminatory but rather a fact in the social fabric of teenage behavior. Some kids focus on the important issues while still enjoying the vast opportunities for a quality secondary education. In contrast, other young adults fail to balance the theme of work hard, play hard. In this day and age the majority of teens are simply unmotivated.

The challenge is to impel these students, who are bursting with potential, to become active in our society. Our country, which was founded on the basis of freedom, has so much to offer historically and at present. Schools all over the state of Alaska can play a more prominent role in encouraging those apathetic persons who are not registered to vote, have no interest in government, and are unappreciative of the historical contributions of so many past generations.

Our teenage culture has become an instantaneous social network of instant gratification. We get our information from text messages, YouTube, and Facebook. Such Internet sources and deviation from the facts has caused a blur of reality. The government and history of Alaska and the nation become intangible.

Socialism is also a problem relating to this topic. By expecting the government and the public to care for you and your predicaments only causes less involvement and understanding. Unmotivated people will not be interested in civic affairs. The socialistic tendencies of government create an even greater mediocrity amongst the younger generation. Our society will be bifurcated with the high achievers and those that rely on the mirage of fictional information.

My suggestion as a solution to this plaguing situation is to alter the focus of the educational curriculum. The Alaskan high schools need to continue to make standards higher, not relinquish to the easier route of mediocrity. Benchmarks, test standards, ASAA sport activity requirements and other changes to high school principles is a good start. However, I believe these levels of quality should be enforced more strictly.

I know all too well how many of my peers blow off their one-half credit of mandatory United States Government course and thus end up not walking at their high school graduation. The comical aspect of this situation is that they fail even with the consideration that the class is simple! They are just not willing to put forth the effort to learn when the Declaration of Independence was written, what is entailed in the Bill of Rights, or how many votes Alaska receives in the electoral college. Our educational leaders need to mandate a stricter curriculum that forces these students to pass this essential class. Financial incentives could quite possibly be the answer to motivate the youth. I am an advocate for strong public education. Unfortunately it seems we spend too much of our school budget resources to help the kids achieve only minimum standards. What if we literally pay cash for successful grades and achievements? The cash reward system proposal is similar to the Alaskan Governor’s idea to significantly raise the state scholarship for academics. Socialistic critiques want the new state government scholarship program to be needs based; again, more mediocrity.

The young adults with goals still need to interact within the establishment, and thus appreciate the responsibility to contribute by their own means. Those of us high school seniors who will be graduating as valedictorians, and now poised for success, will have to work extraordinarily hard to be productive for our own families and the kids that choose the apathetic path.

I myself have put forth a tremendous effort to become more engaged in my civic responsibilities. I have several years of volunteer experience toward my life goal of becoming a military doctor and eventually a pediatric physician in rural Alaska after my service to our country. I am registered to vote and have actively been to city council meetings, helped erect a U.S. Constitutional monument with the Wasilla Sunrise Rotary Club, started a new Interact Club in the Mat-Su Valley, and toured both the State Capitol and US Capitol with my family while in grade-school.

My most prominent effort to become affiliated with past and current events is my involvement in Academic World Quest, an annual team-based competition on international affairs, geography, history and culture sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America. This organization helps inspire youth to explore and learn more about the issues that are occurring all over the world politically, scientifically, economically, and socially. In January 2010, my four-member team won the State of Alaska competition held at the University of Alaska. At the end of April we will fly to Washington DC to compete at the National level against other students from all over the United States. World Quest has definitely motivated me to become a more active citizen in society.

In conclusion, I recommend higher standards of education, cash rewards for honor role and high achievements, and more engaging civic programs such as World Quest to be tested as viable solutions. Motivational awards can lead to other successes and interests in public affairs. A fundamental change in our school programs can lead to greater accomplishments and more individual efficacy in other areas of our society.