Local Winner of National Sandra Day O’Connor Institute Youth Civics Challenge

On May 7th, the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute announced its ten national winners of the 7th Annual Civics Challenge. Among the winners is Isabella Glynn, a Lyman Hall Student.

The online civics competition was open to students in grades 6 through 12. The challenge: Choose a civics-related topic and then express their knowledge and creativity in a short video or original song to earn a $500 cash prize. The submissions reflect the remarkable depth of civic knowledge and creative talent among today’s youth.

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Our Nation's Founding:

“We are inspired by these students’ talent and commitment to civics, and as we mark 250 years, their passion reflects Justice O’Connor’s legacy and the importance of encouraging youth to honor the values that define America,” Institute President and CEO Sarah Suggs said. “We congratulate all of the winners for their commitment to civics.”

The Institute created a highlight video to showcase the prize-winning students’ talent. All the videos are on YouTube. Check out all the High School Winners video links below to be inspired as well.

• Silas P./Cameron A./Noah B./Brian H., 11th Grade, Dumfries, Virginia – George Washington Type Beat
• Elizabeth R., 11th Grade, Winston Salem, North Carolina – Opening Doors (Abigail Adams and the Evolution of the Women’s Suffrage Movement)
• Willow S., 10th Grade, Berlin Center, Ohio – Sandra Day O’Connor
• Isabella G., 9th Grade, Wallingford, Connecticut – Evolutionary History Asks Something of Us: Consent
• Ethan S., 10th Grade, Highland Heights, Ohio – Civics Live: Your Rights & Responsibility

Consent

Bella is a TeenTigerTV participant. What started as a YSS /WorkForce Alliance summer work skills program for local youth has evolved into a youth-led year round drop in program. Youth can earn High School Community Service credit for creating content in the public interest.

The best part about winning is that more people will see your work and maybe take the message to heart.

Isabella Glynn, TeenTigerTV Member

Brendon, part of the 2024 summer team which produced the nationally recognized video Framing Words - Manifest Destiny checked out Bella's video. He is currently pursuing his GED with Wallingford Adult Ed.

I think the condensed video helped me contextualize my importance within the government. At first, it was difficult for me to interpret what it meant, but as the video continued, I understood ... Really, what it boiled down to is, when talking about consent, you have the freedom to research, the freedom to vote once you're of legal age...

Brendon H. TeenTigerTV Youth Mentor Assistant

Evolution to Contest Submissions

Among the participation challenges of youth programs is motivation. Money, prizes and credit toward something are the highest motivators. But once inside the third-space environment at WPAA-TV, motivation is elevated by creative ownership, team work and flexibility.

Getting the attention of local youth is a work in progress. Tim Lopez is familiar with the roadblocks and opportunities first-hand. A 2021 summer participant, he returned and returned again. After High School, studying culinary arts, he enrolled in college to develop his unexpected interest and natural talent for media production.

"The idea of entering a contest has always been on the table, but it's challenging to do [without a team]". Tim will tell you they require "countless hours dedicated to research, understanding how to build a story through documentary format, and plenty of “near final” videos.

His predecessor, Ben Negron, now a WPAA-TV Board Member set a high bar. Also a 2021 TeenTigerTV member, Ben produced When I Speak Freely. In 2022, it was the Civic Life Project Social Media Winner, Hometown Festival Winner About Access & Empowerment and a ACM-NE Nor'easter Finalist About Access and Community Media winner.

This Fall, three passionate youth, two from the 2025 summer program agreed to enter the 250th-themed C-SPAN StudentCam challenge. In addition to producing an entry, they produced 'All Moments Are History', a longform interview with Dr. Miguel A. Cardona, 12th US Secretary of Education for footage and Vlogged their Behind-The-Scenes experience. A contest option. The check is in the mail!!! Bravo.

Tim continues, "Competing over the months brought about an element of motivation and cooperation for the youth involved. I feel that it motivated them beyond the summer program.

We finally had a start. Being a team leader for Teen Tiger TV has shaped my understanding ... observing the growth of each youth and how contests motivated them.

Tim Lopez, TeenTigerTV Youth Leader

Contests require commitment. Most require youth to delve into challenging topics and even expose their beliefs. The TeenTigerTV program enables exploration of history and values in the public interest. (See Andrew's Contest experience here. Like Bella, Andrew will tell you the most important thing in the end is to be heard in a way that starts a conversation, or enable positive action. Winning just helps.)

To begin a TeenTigerTV journey drop in on Mondays between 6 and 8:30 at WPAA-TV 28 S Orchard St. Participation is not limited to Wallingford residents.