SAAS Students Place in Ninth Circuit Civics Contest 

By: Sarah-Mae McCullough, Editorial Content Manager

This spring, rising SAAS seniors Paige W. ’27 and Sophie B. ’27 were recognized for a civics project advocating for greater access to education. The duo became finalists in the Ninth Circuit Civics Contest — a competition for high schoolers across nine Western states. 

The annual contest, sponsored by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, encourages students to research and reflect on the Declaration of Independence. This year, participants wrote essays or created videos inspired by the theme “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness—Your Voice. Your Story. Your America.” 

Paige and Sophie’s video focused on “the Pursuit of Happiness.” They blended their original ideas and writing, their own hand-drawn animation, and interviews with members of the SAAS community to argue that, in current times, this promise translates into the right to access education. 

The video calls for “more generous and equitable funding in public schools and greater student debt relief programs to further guarantee the American people can pursue their dreams in the modern day,” Sophie says. 

It earned third place in the local, Western District of Washington category and placed among the top 12 finalists in the Ninth Circuit contest. 

View the Ninth Circuit Civics video submission below: