Civics Challenge

NCACC Sponsors High School Civics Challenge, Names Winner KaylaVera McBride

Earlier this year, the Association sponsored a new initiative, the NCACC Civics Challenge, as part of its youth outreach efforts. The purpose of the initiative was to engage high school students on issues that impact county government. High School students throughout the state were invited to submit a creative presentation in the “PechaKucha-style” format to share something of importance about county government. PechaKucha is a method of PowerPoint created by architects in Tokyo, Japan, which uses imagery and spoken word narration to create a seamless and concise presentation. PechaKucha presentations consist of 20 images, displayed for 20 seconds each, and voice narration is used to tell the story. Applicants were encouraged to incorporate personal experiences and creative elements to produce a PechaKucha-style video on one of the following topics:

1) “My County” – The PechaKucha-style presentation should demonstrate the value of their county. It could be framed as a “Day in the Life of a County Employee/Resident,” and speak to a particular county-provided service or share something unique about the county.
2) “Mental Health and High School Students” – The PechaKucha-style presentation should lend insight into why high school can be a difficult time of life and how mental health issues are present among this group. It should speak to how adults can make it easier for students to talk with them about their experiences and reach out for help.

NCACC selected three finalists, Ethan Cahoon (Lenoir County), Kathie Dietrich (Hertford County), and KaylaVera McBride (Alamance County), to present their work at the NCACC 2017 Annual Conference, which was held on August 10-12, 2017, in Durham County. All finalists received a $500 academic award for their work. North Carolina county commissioners voted at the conference and selected KaylaVera McBride as the overall winner of the contest, and awarded her an additional $500 scholarship prize.