There’s no school on Election Day. But Tucker Eklund learned something last November he’ll never forget.
As part of Staples High School’s Service League of Boys (SLOBs), the freshman volunteered at the polls. He spent the day handing out “I Voted” stickers.
Watching democracy in action was eye-opening. The most memorable part of the day was a conversation he struck up with George Masumian.
Chatting with the Sunrise Rotary Club member made Tucker realize that everyone — even a teenager too young to vote — can participate in democracy.
Already interested in how the world works, Tucker dove deeper into American civic life.
Researching the biographies of Supreme Court justices, he discovered the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy.
Founded by the first woman to serve on America’s highest court, the non-profit promotes civic engagement and education.
Each year it sponsors a Civics Challenge. The competitive national contest asks students in grades 6 through 12 to demonstrate civics knowledge through essays, short videos or original songs.
Tucker’s entry was “Crafting Change: The Art of Lawmaking in Congress.” He was the only 9th grade winner nationwide.
The $500 prize was nice. The insight he gained into American democracy was priceless.
Tucker Eklund in the National Air & Space Museum annex — just outside (appropriately for him) Washington, DC.
The other day, Tucker talked about his favorite topic: civics education.
“It’s so important to learn how government works, and how that applies to the real world,” he says. That’s true even for students, who soon enough will be able to cast votes and have a say about their world.
One of the biggest criticisms of our democracy these days is that many Americans have no clue how it works.
According to the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute:
- The time devoted to civic education in American public schools began to decline significantly in the 1960s.
- Civic education has not for many decades been prioritized by federal or state government. Time devoted to civics has also declined due to unintended consequences of other educational focuses, like a focus on STEM and the No Child Left Behind act).
- The time spent in schools on civics declines when civic education itself is seen as controversial.
- Educators in K-12 schools feel unprepared to teach civics.
- Younger Americans are less knowledgeable about civics than previous American generations.
Staples offers 4 civics courses, for juniors and seniors: Advanced Placement Government & Politics; AP Government & Politics (with We the People competition), US Governmetn, and Current Issues: US Media & Politics.
All students must take at least one to graduate.
Staples High School’s 2023 We the People team, at the Lincoln Memorial. (Photo/Danielle Dobin)
As a freshman, Tucker has yet to take any civics class. But he is adamant about their value.
“If we want to uphold democratcy in this nation, and the world, we have to educate students about how to interact with it. We have to understand what impacts us the most.”
Tucker’s generation knows a lot about politicians, he says — they’re all over social media and the news — but not as much about policy (“how government works”).
Finding that information can be boring for some people, he admits. But good teachers, and a creative curriculum, can make it exciting.
He finds it remarkable that in the 1700s, our founding fathers (“without technology”) devised “the greatest system of government known to man. And they made it last.”
Some people think American democracy might not last much longer.
“I know some people have no hope. Other people think it’s going well,” Tucker says.
His view is “right down the middle. We can recover from our divisiveness, through education and communication.”
Where will that education come from?
Tucker wants to find ways to excite people. His video is one method.
Another: Regular conversations, on a personal basis.
Tucker has them all the time, with friends, teachers and family.
On a recent drive to a ski mountain, he had a great chat with his brother — a Staples junior — his father and grandfather. They talked about how civics intersects with everyday life, in areas from technology and health to literature.
So: Is politics in Tucker’s future?
Perhaps not. But like an expert politician, he deflects the question.
“I like when people strive to make the world a better place,” he says.
“Martin Luther King wanted freedom for all — a better world. That’s what I want: to help others, and help our nation be better.”
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It’s one of 10 pilot programs in Connecticut, using cannabix tax revenues. The grant from the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services is $57,000.
But what I needed wasn’t sympathy — I needed justice. I needed someone to believe me. 
The contest is open to students attending both public and private high school in Westport. Those who live in Westport and attend public or private high school elsewhere — or are home-schooled here — can also participate.
The Westport Library co-sponsors the event. They’ll host the winners at a special ceremony on April 28.
