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Two Cape schools to participate in Florida Civics and Debate Initiative

By Staff | Jun 19, 2020

Two schools in Lee County, both in Cape Coral, were selected out of 60 schools to participate in the first phase of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative, according to an announcement this week from Gov. Ron DeSantis and Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran.

Those two schools are Caloosa Middle School and Island Coast High School.

Caloosa Middle School Assistant Principal Lisa Whaley said they are really excited to be among the two schools in Lee County to be chosen out of the schools to participate in the first phase of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative.

“We expressed interest in it,” she said of the initiative. “We have a great civics team, passionate about getting involved in the community.”

Whaley said they expressed interest to increase opportunities for the kids.

“A lot of our students don’t get a big background in social studies in elementary school. It’s important to learn about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and know what is going on around them. (The opportunity also) teaches them how to debate and share their opinions and act like civil adults,” she said. “I know, as a school, we are excited about the opportunity for our students. We have very passionate teachers that are ready to get started.”

Whaley said although they will not have the specifics of how the program will unfold for the next couple of weeks, she knows they will receive funding from the grant to start their debate team. The grant funds will also offset educational resources, tournament transportation and coach stipends.

She said the initiative will allow them to have coaches to provide professional development, so they are ready to bring the best to the kids.

The grant funding, Whaley said, will also provide a membership for the National Speech and Debate Association.

She said they are looking at a couple different options, either an after school club or class, depending on scheduling.

“We are looking at different teachers to work with our kids as well,” Whaley said.

Island Coast High School Assistant Principal Winston Woods said being one of the 60 schools is a great opportunity for the kids, as well as Zachary Ward, a second year teacher who has taken on the initiative. Woods said Ward taught government last year and is moving onto U.S. history and world history this year.

“He has a lot of passion and ready to take on everything,” Woods said, adding that Ward has great energy and passion for the kids. “He does well with the kids.”

He said they expressed interest because the Civics and Debate Initiative gives students an opportunity for exposure, as well as soft skills, eye contact and confidence in themselves. Woods said these are skills that a lot of the students do not get anymore because of technology, and having their heads in their phones.

“It’s getting out and using their vocal voice instead of typing in their cell phones,” Woods said.

The initiative, he said, will also give students the chance to compete with peers and meet with different students across the state, which opens them up to more outside of their current situation, therefore opening their eyes to what is out there in the world. There is also opportunity for networking, Woods said, which you cannot find in a traditional setting within a school.

“We jumped on this and said ‘let’s jump in with two feet and see what we can get out of it,'” Woods said. “All we saw was opportunity and exposure for our kids and our school.”

The 60 schools that were selected represent 28 school districts in Florida. DeSantis announced the multi-year, $5 million grant from the Marcus Foundation Inc. on Jan. 27, 2020, to increase the civic knowledge, civic skills and civic disposition for middle and high school students through speech and debate.

The mission of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative is to “create access and opportunities for all students to have the best civics education, including curriculum, debate programs and high-quality teachers that are catalysts for students becoming great citizens who can preserve our constitutional republic for future generations.”

“The Florida Civics and Debate Initiative will allow thousands of students across our state to not only learn about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but also give them the confidence to succeed academically and in life,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement. “I commend students and educators across Florida for making civic literacy a priority. Our state is making great strides to reach our goal to be number one in the nation for civic literacy and education.”

By 2023, the goal is to expand the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative to all Florida school districts. Florida’s Benchmarks for Exceptional Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards provides Florida educators with the tools they need to ensure students receive a quality civic education. A civics standards review is being prepared by the Florida Department of Education in the 2020-2021 school year.

The B.E.S.T. standards will fully integrate civics into every grade, by including a recommended civics reading list with foundational historic American documents, publications from most major literary periods and significant historical documents crucial to ensuring American history and civics is integrated into every grade level, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

“I commend Florida school districts for prioritizing civic literacy. The Florida Civics and Debate Initiative combined with prioritizing civics in every grade through Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards will no doubt make Florida students first in the nation in civic literacy and knowledge,” Corcoran said in a prepared statement. “The Florida Civics and Debate Initiative is a terrific opportunity for Florida students to have full lives, advocate for themselves and become active in their local community, our state and the nation. My greatest appreciation to the Marcus Foundation for their generous funding to support civics and debate in Florida schools.”

The community has the opportunity to partake in an online survey to share their input on the K-12 civics and government standards, a platform being conducted by the Florida Department of Education. The standards revision, www.fldoe.org/civicsreview, is a result of House Bill 807, signed by DeSantis in June 2019, requiring the Florida Department of Education to conduct a complete review of the statewide civics education standards by Dec. 31, 2020.

For information about the initiative, or to view the schools participating, visit www.floridaeducationfoundation.org/fcdi.