Alenoush Hagopian

The League of Women Voters of South County is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the 14th annual Susan B. Wilson Civic Education Merit Awards.

Alenoush Hagopian of Highlander Charter School in Providence, a resident of Cranston, has earned the Jury Prize.

Natalie O’Brien of North Smithfield High School, North Smithfield, has earned the Grand Prize, and the team of Amy Goldblatt and Sarah Craft of The Compass School, Kingston, has earned Honorable Mention.

In recognition of their achievements, an awards ceremony was held via Zoom on Thursday, June 10. Recipients, their families and colleagues were present, as well as the award evaluators and officers and members of the League of Women Voters. Angélica Infante-Greene, Rhode Island commissioner of education, was the keynote speaker for this event.

“Rhode Island is founded in a tradition of civic engagement, and the Department of Education works hard to both connect our students with that history and to help them continue it,” Infante-Green said. “The past year especially has highlighted how critical civic education is to our youths; amidst all of the challenges we have faced, our students demonstrated a passion for activism and engagement. I’m honored to participate in the Susan B. Wilson Civic Education Merit Awards to underscore how we can foster their commitment to making their voices heard and to tackling the issues they see in their communities.”

The League inaugurated this award to honor teachers who have enriched their students’ understanding of civic rights and responsibilities; have encouraged their students’ civic participation; and have brought context and relevance to crucial events affecting the United States on a national, regional, statewide, or local level.

Further information about this award, as well as a brief biography of Susan B. Wilson, a founding member of the League of Women Voters of South Kingstown/Narragansett, is available online at my.lwv.org/rhode-island/14th-annual-susan-b-wilson-awards.