Hempfield approaches 50-year anniversary of civics education class

At the start of the school year, during the first few minutes of Hempfield Area teacher Ken Stough’s classes, students are asked to imagine their typical day.

Stough and the students write down activities they do on a day-to-day basis in detail, and then return to each item with a question: How have local and state government made those activities possible?

It’s an exercise in awareness of civics, and an example of the learning that takes place in Stough’s Project 18 course, a state and local government class that originally was spearheaded by the state of Pennsylvania in response to 18-year-olds being given the right to vote.

This year, 77 students across four class sections are taking the course at Hempfield. Students must be seniors and at least 17 years old to participate.

Next school year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Project 18 program at Hempfield, the only school district in Pennsylvania to still run the class.

To celebrate that anniversary, students and Stough are planning an expanded version of their annual high school talent show tonight.

“The kids buy their tickets at the school for $3, and at the door it’s $5. Anybody can come,” Stough said, noting that this year’s event has a few surprises planned in honor of the 50th anniversary.

Stough hasn’t been the teacher for Project 18 for all 50 years of its existence. He took over the program on the heels of its founder, Rich Redmerski, who taught it for 30 years.

“The reason it’s only in Hempfield now is it’s hard to teach —you have to be into it and create new materials every year,” Stough said. “It’s really a testament to him that the class stayed alive all those years.”

Civics curriculum

Originally intended to prepare young people to vote, the modern version of Project 18 at Hempfield approaches civics from more than a few angles.

“The focus was towards state and local government and not federal, and (we) designed it to be more hands on, so there would be a volunteer component of the class to work on campaigns, and get involved in elections and community service,” he said.

Students are required to choose a local candidate to volunteer for their campaign, and the class takes a field trip to the polls on Election Day and a trip to Harrisburg later in the year. They’re also required to complete five hours of community service per semester.

“It really tunes them in, and I think makes them lifelong voters and more educated voters moving forward,” Stough said.

The hands-on aspect is key to the class’s appeal, Stough said, adding that the public school system doesn’t always do a good job teaching civics.

”Any government the kids get (in other classes) is federal, and I always equate that with running a math curriculum and starting at calculus,” he said. “The best way to teach civics is from the bottom up.”

Making government real

Stough describes the class as nonpartisan, and focused more on how people can get involved with local government. A highlight of the course, he says, is its frequent guest speakers. Municipal, district, county and state representatives regularly speak to the class about their work and the world of political science on a local level.

“We will go over the notes and then bring in guest speakers to speak to the notes,” he said. “We’ll bring in the superintendent and the president of the school board, and bring in leadership for each level. We get the (Hempfield) supervisors in, and parks and recreation, and the township manager, and those kinds of people.”

Stough regularly receives mail and messages from former students, some of whom have gone on to get involved in different levels of government. But it’s the quieter kids, too, who reach out.

“A lot of the kids realize how helpful it was even later,” he said. “It just kind of opens their eyes to the reality that this is important in their lives, and they really haven’t been taught much about it.”

Sparking interest in politics

Former student Aaron Riggleman, who now works with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce in Harrisburg, said Project 18 gave him the chance to be inquisitive about different political perspectives.

A Republican, Riggleman was part of the 2018-19 Project 18 class.

“The one thing I remember most was the ability to ask questions to people and candidates that you didn’t agree with,” Riggleman said. “I entered the political world — that’s what I do for a living — and there’s not often opportunities to ask both sides of the aisle questions. I think that’s something that I gained from Project 18.”

Stough’s emphasis on local politics was also helpful, Riggleman said.

“We hear so much about the federal and state level, which is important, but the average young person doesn’t pay as much attention to the local level, which, in reality, is what is affecting them on the day to day (basis),” he said.

Max White, 18, a senior at Hempfield Area High School, said the Project 18 class is part of the reason he plans to attend Penn State for political science after he graduates.

“Taking this class and realizing how much you can do in the community, and how much political science can help you get to a job that can help you do something in the community, it kind of helped me make my decision,” he said.

White first heard about the Project 18 course at last year’s talent show and decided to sign up for the 2022-23 school year.

“You have so many opportunities for community service, school involvement, school spirit and anything to help the community and help your school district, which is what I love to do,” White said. “It provides a great opportunity for that.”

White worked with Eric Nelson’s campaign in the fall semester and is still choosing which candidate he will work with for the spring semester.

“I handed out pamphlets with all the Republican candidates, and what their ideas were and what they wanted to do for our community,” he said. “I met a lot of great people, people who agreed with me and people who strongly disagreed with me, and I got to hear both opinions, and it was a really good experience—something I didn’t think I would be able to experience in high school.”

Tickets for tonight’s talent show are $5 at the door. The program starts at 7 p.m. A Facebook group is available online to celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary.