Battle Ground Public Schools

Prairie sophomore selected for national civics program

Ellie Durgarian, a tenth grader at Prairie High School, has been selected as one of just 22 students from across the United States to serve as a member of the inaugural Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship. The year-long program will engage high school students in civic leadership and challenge them to explore how to make civics more inclusive and relevant to Americans of all backgrounds. The fellowship is sponsored by iCivics, which was founded by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2009 to transform the field of civics through student engagement.

Throughout the course of the 2020-2021 school year, the fellows will participate in virtual workshops. These workshops are designed to help students tell their stories about equity in civics in compelling ways. By the close of the program, fellows are expected to launch a national student-led social media campaign; engage in group discussions on equity, civic education, and civic engagement; produce written pieces and media projects on equity in civics; and collaborate on a virtual showcase on student voice.

In addition, fellows will contribute their perspectives to other initiatives led by iCivics. Students will engage with the CivXNow Coalition, a national coalition of more than 100 organizations focused on improving our nation’s K-12 civic education, and consult with the Educating for American Democracy initiative, a non-partisan effort to produce a roadmap for integrating history and civic education for all learners.

Durgarian, who attends Prairie High School as a band student, said she is excited for the opportunity. “It is so important for students to stay informed and for diverse perspectives and voices to be incorporated in the public school system,” Dugarian said. Her goal is to earn an associate of arts degree in biology at Clark College where she is taking a full course load. 

Students selected for the Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship represent major urban centers on the east and west coasts, rural communities, suburban communities, and a cross-section of socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. Applicants were nominated by teachers and mentors for the program and then submitted a self-assessment and essay for consideration.

Durgarian was nominated by Beth Doughty, history teacher at Chief Umtuch Middle School. “Ellie is quite the phenomenal student,” Doughty said. “She is very passionate and well-informed, and I know she will do a tremendous job representing Battle Ground Public Schools while being a part of the fellowship program.”

“We’ve witnessed this year, and throughout history, the impact of student voice and student civic engagement,” said Amber Coleman-Mortley, iCivics Director of Social Engagement and Fellowship Program Director. “This program is designed to equip students with the skills they need to help them communicate their civic passions effectively.”

Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Equity in Civics fellowship is part of a broader initiative of iCivics to explore the challenges that civics education has when it comes to providing relevant and equitable civics. The fellowship gives students the opportunity to work with experts in civic engagement, advocacy, social and traditional media, and digital literacy to help build leadership and communication skills so that they can become student ambassadors for equity in civic education.

Durgarian and the other 21 fellows recently participated in a weekend series of virtual meetings and workshops that kicked off the fellowship. She is also a founding member of the Youth Hand In Hand tutoring program, a Clark County non-profit organization whose mission is to share their knowledge and experiences with their peers through free online tutoring sessions and classes. 

“We need to actively reflect on the kind of education we are implementing in our school systems, and through the Equity in Youth Fellowship program, I hope to make a lasting difference,” Durgarian said.