Students from Newport’s Thompson Middle School won the top middle school project award at Rhode Island Civics Day, held last week at the State House.
The students earned the honor for a community-based civics project titled “Revitalizing Space for Family Friendly Activity Center,” according to Generation Citizen New England, which hosted the event.
Generation Citizen, an organization focused on equipping young people to engage in democracy, held its annual Rhode Island Civics Day on May 22 at the State House. Now in its 15th year, the 2026 event drew nearly 200 middle and high school students from public schools in Central Falls, East Providence, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket.
The organization partners with school districts to deliver hands-on, standards-aligned community-based civics, in which students identify issues affecting their communities and publicly present projects addressing them. At Civics Day, students presented their work to roughly 75 local officials and community members serving as “community advisors,” who offered feedback.
The day opened with a panel featuring Senate President Valerie Lawson, Rep. Karen Alzate and Sen. Dawn Euer, who spoke about their paths through civic engagement and leadership. Lawson, a retired educator, said encouraging young people to take part in civic life is essential to the future of the state and nation.
“As a Rhode Islander, elected leader, and retired educator, I am filled with hope and pride by the talent and energy showcased during Civics Day,” Lawson said.
Community advisors this year included Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien, Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera, Providence City Councilman John Goncalves and Central Falls City Councilwoman Tatiana Baena, among nearly 80 others.
The event concluded with remarks and the presentation of awards by Secretary of State Gregg Amore, a former social studies teacher.
“As educators and public servants, we have a responsibility to encourage the next generation to be civically engaged, and experiential learning programs like this one set our students up for success,” Amore said.
The projects also count toward students’ civics literacy proficiency requirement under the 2021 Civics Literacy Act, which also requires at least a half-credit course in civics or a related social studies subject.
