More than 300 students from across San Antonio compete in Speak Up Speak Out San Antonio Civics Fair on January 9
**Winning teams advance to statewide civics fair in March**
SAN ANTONIO (January 6, 2023) – CAST Schools will host the fifth annual Speak Up Speak Out San Antonio Civics Fair, where more than 300 students in grades 3 – 12 will share ideas on how to make San Antonio stronger from a youth perspective. More than 80 teams will vie for a chance to advance to the statewide civics fair in Austin in March. Speak Up Speak Out is conducted in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life to give students the opportunity to work together to identify a problem in their community and to create a long-term solution for it.
San Antonio’s Regional Civics Fair will be held on Monday, January 9 at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg will kick-off the civics fair at 9:30am. Then, over 60 civic leaders from across various industries will listen and provide students with feedback. San Antonio District 4 Councilwoman Dr. Adriana Rocha-Garcia and Firstmark Foundation Executive Director and State Board of Education Member Marisa Perez-Diaz will announce the winners in the awards ceremony at 1 p.m. The top three high school teams and the top three middle school teams will automatically qualify for the state competition to be held in Austin, Texas in March.
“This is such a tremendous opportunity to hear directly from young people who have a passion for our community, and for students to identify real world problems and solutions,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “I’m grateful to CAST Schools for their support and to the dozens of judges and business leaders who give their time to this. San Antonio is blessed by remarkable young people and young talent and they will represent us well in Austin this March.”
Serving students and educators since 2002, Speak Up Speak Out is an innovative civic education program designed to teach students about their communities and equip them with the tools to make a difference. Students conduct extensive research through interviews, surveys, and by exploring digital and library resources. As students craft their solutions, they work with community experts to receive authentic feedback on their proposed ideas. Students participating in the San Antonio Civics Fair come from Advanced Learning Academy (SAISD), CAST Med (SAISD), CAST Lead (ECISD), International Schools of the Americas (NEISD), Keystone, Democracy Prep, Space and Engineering Technology Academy (NEISD).
EVENT DETAILS:
Monday, January 9, 2023
Texas A&M University-San Antonio Auditorium
Parking in Lot 2B
9:30 am
Welcome and Kick-Off with Mayor Ron Nirenberg
10:15 am – 12:15 pm
Student presentations and celebrity judging
1:00 – 1:30 pm
Awards Ceremony with Dr. Adriana Rocha-Garcia and Marisa Perez-Diaz
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ABOUT THE CAST Schools Network
The Centers for Applied Science & Technology (CAST) is a San Antonio-based network of tuition-free, public schools with a mission to reinvent schooling in order to maximize options for students while preparing them for college, career, and life. Open to all Bexar County students, the network includes high schools CAST Tech, CAST Teach, CAST STEM, CAST Med, CAST Lead and the Advanced Learning Academy. Schools are co-created with industry, and partner with area public school districts, including Northside, San Antonio, Southwest, and East Central ISDs. For more information, visit castschools.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
