NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Secretary of State Tre Hargett presented Crockett Elementary School student William (Liam) Douthit with an award for his first-place finish in the PreK-2nd grade category and Trinity Elementary School student Lisa Tateuchi with an award for her first-place finish in the 3-5th grade category in the statewide 2022 Civics Essay Contest.

“Congratulations to Liam and Lisa for earning the top spot in their respective category,” said Secretary Hargett. “Our office created the Civics Essay Contest to help students become more civically educated so that when they become adults, they are ready to take part in our electoral process. Liam and Lisa are off to a great start in becoming engaged citizens in their community.”

Douthit and Tateuchi each received a $500 TNStars 529 College Savings Program scholarship and a visit to the State Capitol for their first-place finishes.
The 2022 Civics Essay Contest was open to all Tennessee students in public, charter, private school or home school associations in grades PreK to 12. Schools chose up to two essays from each grade level to submit for the contest.

The Secretary of State’s office launched the Civics Essay Contest in 2016. The 2022 theme was “Why Your Vote Matters.” Previous essay themes included voting, citizenship, leadership and civic duty.

The Secretary of State’s Civics Essay Contest, Anne Dallas Dudley Award, College Voter Registration Competition and Student Mock Election are part of their longstanding civics engagement efforts to prepare students to be actively engaged citizens.

The Secretary of State’s office also offers lesson plans to help teachers to incorporate civic engagement and citizenship into their curriculum. The free lesson plans were created by Tennessee teachers and are based on the Tennessee Blue Book.

For more information about the Civics Essay Contest and the Secretary of State’s other civic engagement education efforts, visit sos.tn.gov/civics.