The newly created Ravenscroft Civics League supported Upper School students in acquiring the foundational civics knowledge needed to engage in three civics leadership experiences this year. Students were able to engage in the extracurricular program and subsequent student conferences based on the generous funding of a civic engagement grant from the John William Pope Foundation. 

During the fall semester, these Ravens dug into ensuring knowledge of the three branches of government (legislative, judicial and executive) as well as the levels of federalism found in the U.S. government (local, state and federal). From there, students researched and identified problems affecting North Carolinians and strategized around solutions to those problems using the levels and branches of government. Students then used their knowledge of these issues to prepare for and engage in the civics focused Student Leadership conferences, detailed below.

2024 Ravenscroft Civics League Conference

The first opportunity saw 41 students engage on campus at the 2024 Ravenscroft Civics League Conference on Saturday, Nov. 16, in Murphy Hall Upper School, in preparation for the off-campus conferences to come.

At this conference, students engaged with each other, serving as either a legislator or as a lawyer/witness in a Mock Judicial trial. Alumni from the school’s Youth and Government program, including Tessa Lee ’24, Donald Fuller ’17 and Chris Little ’17, served in an advisory role to support students in the program.  Former advisor of the YAG program and Co-Director of College Counseling Sean Kennedy served as chair and advisor of the Legislative Branch, while YAG Mock Trial officer Leah Atasoy ’25 served as judge in the Mock Trial program. This experience served as a great practice opportunity for the upcoming conferences that students attended.

2025 Youth and Government Conference

From Feb. 13-16, 39 RCL students participated in the YMCA’s North Carolina Youth and Government conference in downtown Raleigh, attended by more than 900 students from around the state. Through this program, students participated in either the Legislative Branch, serving as either a senator, representative or lobbyist; the Judicial Branch, serving as attorneys and witnesses or on the media team to document the legislative and judicial process throughout the conference. In addition, many returning YAG participants were able to serve in leadership positions as officers, including Nydia Davis ’25, Deanna Bennett ’25, Emily Capell ’25 Shrutav Deshpande ’25, Leah Atasoy ’25 and Ethan Silverman ’25. Luke Thomann ’25 had the distinction of serving as a member of the Governor’s Cabinet.

At the culmination of the YAG conference, several students took home awards or received various honors. Jai Gupta ’25 won the Model Senator Award, while Ava Lubsen ’26 won the election for the District Attorney seat, and Taylor Gregory ’26 was appointed Managing Media Editor. In addition, Jai’s bill and Randi Ogan ’25 and Mia Atasoy ’25’s bill were passed by the Governor’s Cabinet. Cavan Sheehan ’27, Damien Luciano ’27 and Oren Kantor ’27 — who were new to the YAG conference — also were able to take their House Bill to the Senate, a major accomplishment. The Mock Trial team of Madison Perry ’27, Karolyna Huntanar ’27 and George Haralamakis ’27 made it to the Mock Trial All-Star round.  

Each student, regardless of the awards earned, brought with them a lot of time and preparation for their roles and were able to showcase their talents and interests.

When reflecting on their experiences, students said the following:

• “Mock Trial at YAG has inspired my desire to pursue law. I learned almost everything I know about the law from YAG. I hope to enter college with a strong understanding of the law to have a firm foundation to engage in law-related courses and classes.” — Ethan MacLaren ’25
• “When Governor Josh Stein spoke to us, I was shocked and honored that he came to speak to us! It made me realize how much of an impact we have.” — Kate Krouse ’26
• “I made connections with real judges and spoke with [North Carolina Supreme Court Justice] Allison Riggs and was invited to watch a North Carolina case.” — Ava Lubsen ’26
• “This conference has shown me the value of public speaking to a group but also the importance of working to connect with every person individually. As a lobbyist, I met dozens of people while lobbying for my bills, which was such a powerful experience. When people feel seen, they will be more likely to value your arguments in chambers and in real life.” — Grace Garney ’26
• “My biggest takeaway is how much collaborating with others can accomplish. Despite feeling poorly prepared at the beginning, our group was able to quickly adapt and learn in order to succeed.” — Karolyna Huntanar ’27
• “It is a complex process with many things to consider, and it's important to try and see things from every perspective before forming decisions.” — Randi Ogan ’25
• “I will take away how important every role, big or small, is in making a difference.” — Sydney Parrish ’26

2025 N.C. Youth Legislative Assembly

From March 7-9, three RCL students engaged in the N.C. Youth Legislative Assembly, sponsored by the North Carolina General Assembly, which took place at the North Carolina Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh. With support from former and current legislators and government officials, Grace Garney ’26 and Karolyna Huntanar ’27 engaged with over 200 other students from around the state and were able to debate, amend and vote on current and former legislation brought to the legislature for review. Jai Gupta ’25 served as Senate Speaker.  

While this program was new this year for the Ravenscroft Civics League, students felt like they learned a lot and were able to develop further public speaking skills as well as leadership skills in the space.

Overall, the Ravenscroft Civics League started strong in its inaugural year, incorporating more student conferences and engaging students in more civic leadership opportunities. As the program continues to expand, students can look forward to continued program engagement with YMCA’s Youth and Government program, the N.C. Youth Legislative Assembly and additional civics opportunities.