Sixty-three educators have been awarded for integrating themes from the Declaration of Independence in their teaching in lead-up to nation’s 250th anniversary.
ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES, February 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Bill of Rights Institute and iCivics have named the second round of winners of the Civic Star Challenge, a nationwide initiative to inspire millions of acts of civic learning in the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Civic Star Challenge makes the teaching of the Declaration of Independence digestible and relatable to today’s youth by providing educators with a repository of adaptable lesson plans and activities that teach the key themes of the founding document. The resources are available at civicstarchallenge.org. Once educators have taught at least one of 11 themes, they can submit a log of their activities for a chance to win cash prizes totaling more than $200,000.
The Challenge includes multiple rounds of random drawings, each awarding $300 to selected teachers, and an essay contest that has a $10,000 grand prize for the winning teacher’s school district.
Today, the 63 winners of the second round of drawings have been announced. The teachers represent nearly 30 states.
“The Civic Star Challenge honors the educators who keep America’s founding principles alive in their classrooms,” said David Bobb, President and CEO of the Bill of Rights Institute. “Their work reminds us that civic knowledge and virtue are essential to sustaining liberty for the next generation and to helping students see their role in preserving a free society.”
“The celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is an incredible moment to engage in the teaching of our founding documents and in civic education in general – and this has never been more critical,” iCivics CEO Louise Dubé said. “We’re proud to be able to reward teachers for their efforts to connect the themes and ideals from the Declaration to the present.”
The winners are listed below:
Natalia Allen
Jon Barnes
Andrea Bauck
Jason Bennett
Sherry Blenman
Laura Brucato
Cady Burstein
Cindy Cantu
Stacey Clark
Melanie Claros-Rodriguez
Christopher Crawford
Artur Da Silva
Daniel Dawson
Lauren Feld
Brittany Ferguson
Thomas Fulbright
Randall Furash-Stewart
Nicole Gasparik
Jennifer Graham
Anne Hester
Jean Hiller
Kimberly Huffman
Kevin Jackson
Jaclyn Jecha
Avery Keese
Morrow Kerins
Steven Leavitt
Andrea Longstreet
Laura McFarren
Linda McGinness
Joseph McGuire
Sarah Mensinger
Lisabeth Mikolajczyk-Harper
Laura Mirt
Evangeline Mitchell
Stephanie Nichols
Charles Oliver
Beth Oswald
Amy Palo
Kristen Parise
John Phillips
Shine Ray
Kristal Reeves
Stephanie Richards
Richard Rineberg
Kara Robinson
Michele Rowley
Shannon Salter-Burghardt
Jamie Shannon
Dawn Skelton
Craig Specht
Molly Stanley
Tabby Talbourdet
Shelly Tanner
Michael Thomas
Brande Vogele
Anne Walker
Nadia Westen
Kymberli Wregglesworth
Blanche Wulfekoetter
Gregory Yarnall
Heather Yates
The Civic Star Challenge is made possible through generous support from Griffin Catalyst, civic engagement initiative of Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin; the Stand Together Trust; and The Pedersen Foundation.
ABOUT iCIVICS
Founded in 2009 by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing civic learning by providing educators and students with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to embrace and engage in our civic life together. iCivics empowers educators and leads the movement to make civic education a nationwide priority so all young people have the confidence to shape the world around them and believe in our country’s future. To learn more, visit https vision.icivics.org
ABOUT BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE
The Bill of Rights Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to advance civic and history education through market-leading curricula and programs for educators and students. To learn more, visit mybri.org.
ABOUT GRIFFIN CATALYST
Griffin Catalyst is the civic engagement initiative of Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, encompassing his philanthropic and community impact efforts. Tackling the world’s greatest challenges in innovative, action-oriented, and evidence-driven ways, Griffin Catalyst is dedicated to expanding opportunity and improving lives across six areas of focus: Education, Science & Medicine, Upward Mobility, Freedom & Democracy, Enterprise & Innovation, and Communities. For more information, visit griffincatalyst.org.
Ally Silva
Bill of Rights Institute
+1 703-915-2949
asilva@mybri.org
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