2021-2022 RUSD Civic Showcase 

RUSD Civics Showcase: May 12, 2022

RIVERSIDE UNIFIED STUDENTS DISPLAY PASSION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AT THE RUSD CIVICS SHOWCASE

May 17, 2022

On May 12, Riverside Unified hosted the RUSD Civics Showcase at the Grant Education Center.

Every year, RUSD students create civic participation projects that connect to a variety of subjects taught in High School. These initiatives could be in the fields of science, technology, engineering, politics, economics, social science, environmental science, or any other field where society and academia merge . The Civics Showcase allows our students to present their work and engage in meaningful civic engagement discussions with the Riverside community.

RUSD teacher and former mayor Rusty Bailey, along with retired RUSD teacher Tom Podgorski, kicked off the ceremony by awarding student My Nguyen a $300 scholarship for completing the 2022 Social Innovation Challenge. Guests were then free to peruse the 80 tabletop student presentations, each with its own theme and civic goal.

“The RUSD Civics Showcase thoroughly impressed me,” said Brent Lee, RUSD Board President. “The innovative ideas presented by our students highlights RUSD’s commitment to student engagement.”

In addition to the tabletop project presentations, students involved in Soapbox Riverside gave speeches in the auditorium. Project Soapbox encourages young people to write and present a speech on a topic that is important to them. This year's speech prompt was "What is the biggest issue facing your community, and what should be done about it?"

“RUSD students have meaningful, relevant, and innovative ideas to improve society,” said Carolyn Power, Instructional Services Specialist. “The Civics Showcase provides them the space to share their thoughts with a wide audience. As the program expands, we hope to include students from all secondary sites in RUSD.”

For more information on how to get involved in RUSD Civics and Soapbox Riverside visit: bit.ly/RUSDcivics.

Click here to read the RUSD News Update on the 2021-2022 RUSD Civic Showcase.