Celebrating Camp O'Connor USA 2024
"Our daughter had the BEST time at last week's camp - thank you again (and again!) for the opportunity!"
"Amazing camp! What a tremendous experience, and so well organized. Thank you!"
The results are in! Camp O'Connor USA 2024 was a glowing success. This year was our largest camp to date, with 100 students from 20 states. Campers enjoyed behind-the-scenes field trips guided by Arizona leaders, including Governor Katie Hobbs, Arizona House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci and Minority Leader Lupe Contreras, Arizona Supreme Court Justice William Montgomery, and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. We would like to thank each of these leaders and their staff for making these trips possible.
Throughout the week, students showcased their phenomenal creativity in their classrooms, creating campaigns for the candidates of the four groups to run in the Stars & Stripes Convention on Friday. The four presidential candidates are an amazing representation of our youth. Ayjae, Jude, Ryland, and Vivian gave campaign speeches and were put to the test with a question-and-answer Town Hall in front of an audience of more than 300 attendees. Vivian of the Eagle Group was selected by the convention attendees as this year's Stars & Stripes presidential nominee. Thank you to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego for speaking at the convention and announcing this year's nominee!
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the generous sponsors who helped make this camp possible: APS, The Burton Family Foundation, The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation, Smart & Final and Thunderbirds Charities. We truly appreciate your support of our youth civics education program.
Civics Spotlight: The American Revolution
This time of year, we are surrounded by patriotic feelings with celebrations of the 4th of July and our country's independence. As you head to that Independence Day fireworks display or a family gathering, why not take a few moments to learn more about the important historical events that led to the final push by the colonies to seek independence?
We break down the colonial period into easy-to-read articles that look at the colonies, how they developed, the battles, and what finally led to the American Revolution, resulting in the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. You can quiz your family and friends with this new-found knowledge throughout the holiday while also honoring the pivotal generation that helped create the nation we live in today.
Announcing the Winners!
Each year students in middle and high school are invited to showcase their creativity in the Civics Challenge. This online civics competition encourages them to create a video, essay, or art related to a civics topic. The first-, second-, and third-place winners receive a cash prize of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place.
The entries in the fifth annual Civics Challenge online civics competition blew us away. We received entries from hundreds of middle and high school students nationwide.
Congratulations again to all of the winners and honorees! You can find a link here to the winning entries. Is a student you know interested in competing? In September, we will share more information for the next chance to enter or register here to join the interest list!
Civics 101 June Lesson
In 10 minutes or less, you can test your knowledge on the founding principles of our nation!
The June micro-lesson of the month is:Â United States: Rights and Liberties.
Discover the bedrock of American values. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are the foundation of our country's commitment to protect citizens' rights and freedoms. This informative lesson explores key liberties like freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and due process.
Webcast: Talking Revolution
"The Age of Revolutions is a tremendous achievement that will shape scholarly and public debate for decades to come."
                                                          - Wall Street Journal
There is broad scholarly agreement that our current political world owes much to what Thomas Paine was the first to call the "age of revolutions"-that is, the several late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century decades during which revolutions rocked the globe. But what gave rise to the age of revolutions? Why, suddenly, were era-spanning monarchies being toppled? Were revolutionaries motivated by democratic ideals, as some have argued, or, as others believe, merely advancing a newer version of illiberalism? And in what ways, if any, was the American Revolution exceptional?
June Mini-Quiz
Each month Civics 101 tests your knowledge with a new quick 5 question civics quiz. Can you get all 5 right?
#1. What is the principle that requires courts to follow precedent and make consistent rulings?
Dinner With Oppenheimer & Truman
Since 2015, the O'Connor Institute has presented its acclaimed annual History Dinner to honor statesmen and luminaries who have helped to define our nation. This year, the Institute will honor two individuals whose lives changed the course of history during World War II, Manhattan Project Director Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and President Harry S. Truman. The author of Pulitzer Prize-winning book AMERICAN PROMETHEUS, The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird, upon which the Academy Award-winning film was based, is our distinguished speaker. Featured guest will be Dr. Kurt Graham, director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library.
Dinner guests will receive a complimentary copy of American Prometheus. Dinner Chairs are Ellen and Howard Katz and Margot and Dennis Knight. Honorary Chairs are Nita and Phil Francis and Lois and Steve Savage. History Dinner Evening Benefactors Christine and Daryl Burton and Sue and Bud Selig.
2024 John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship Recipient
The O'Connor Institute announces Molly Nealon of Sacramento, California, as the 2024 awardee of the $5,000 John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship.
The Institute awards each year the John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship to an exceptional member of its O'Connor Institute Ambassadors program. High school seniors committed to positively impacting their communities while deepening their understanding of civics apply to be considered for this prestigious award. Molly proved to be a dedicated member of her community who excelled academically and demonstrated exemplary public service.
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