Virginia Schools Excel in National Student Constitution Competition Orange, VA– Virginia’s legacy of producing great constitutional thinkers lives on, and the future is bright for its students. Over April 22–24, 2023, 48 high schools from around the country competed in the We the People National Finals, a competition based on the acclaimed We the People: […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 30, 2023 Contact: Jen Patja Howell Co-Executive Director, VA Civics 434.535-1787 [email protected] 2023 John Sponski Civic Champion Cup Award Winner Recognizing a long-time champion of the We the People program from Douglas S. Freeman High School The “John Sponski Civic Champion Cup” is meant to recognize a volunteer, teacher, or student […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2023 Contact: Jen Patja Howell Co-Executive Director, VA Civics 434.535-1787 [email protected] 2023 VA We the People State Finals Results Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Douglas S. Freeman High School, and J. T. Henley Middle School Shine in the We the People Virginia State Finals Virginia Civics hosted the 2023 Virginia […]
Virginia Civics is thrilled to welcome Amelia Bochain to the team as our new State Coordinator! Amelia has devoted her professional life to effective social studies education that fosters civil discourse. As a classroom teacher for nine years, she implemented project-based learning that focused on civic engagement and encouraging effective discussion skills. She is particularly […]
Emily Voss comes to civic education from the museum world, where she was passionate about making museums relevant to the modern world. She currently serves as the Manager of National Programs for the Center for Civic Education. Prior to that, she served as the Education Director at the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier where she spent the past decade developing programs for adult professionals that invited engagement with America’s founding documents. She served as the Virginia State Coordinator of the We the People program for 10 years and is a co-founder of Virginia Civics. Emily holds a BA in History from Gettysburg College, and an MA in Museum Education from the Cooperstown Graduate Program (SUNY). She and her family currently reside in central Virginia.
Jen Patja has dedicated her career to strengthening constitutional self-government through her work with Virginia Civics, the Center for Civic Education, and Montpelier’s Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution, where she served as Deputy Director. Jen is a co-founder of Virginia Civics, and served as a House of Delegates-appointed member of the Virginia Commission on Civic Education, a state legislative commission, from 2014–2024. She is the producer and editor of “Rational Security,” a weekly foreign policy and national security roundup, and “The Lawfare Podcast,” a daily audio production in cooperation with the Brookings Institution. She is also a speaker with the U.S. Speaker Program at the U.S. Department of State. Jen has held teaching and research positions at the University of Virginia, most notably in Criminology and the school’s University Internship Program with the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. She received her master’s in Sociology from the University of Virginia, and a bachelor’s in English from the University of California, Berkeley.
Amelia Bochain has devoted her professional life to effective social studies education that fosters civil discourse. As a classroom teacher for nine years, she implemented project-based learning that focused on civic engagement and encouraging effective discussion skills. She is particularly passionate about the We the People program, where she coached teams that placed in regional, state, and national competitions.
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