State Senator Shelley Mayer Hosts First Seal of Civic Readiness Fair

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

June 20, 2025

(White Plains, New York) - New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, hosted her first annual Seal of Civic Readiness Fair on Tuesday, June 17 at the White Plains Public Library. Students from high schools across the 37th Senate District gathered to showcase their Seal of Civic Readiness capstone project. 

Each student presented their capstone project, was assessed based on the criteria outlined by the New York State Education Department, and were judged by Senator Mayer, former Port Chester Deputy Mayor Joan Grangenois-Thomas, and Westchester County Legislator Emiljana Ulaj. 

Senator Mayer, former Deputy Mayor Grangenois-Thomas, and Legislator Ulaj recognized one outstanding project from the three categories: School Based Action Projects, Local and Community Action Projects, and State and Federal Action Projects. 

Ella Ward and Jane Radcliff of Mamaroneck Union Free School District were awarded first place for the School Based Action Project category for their project, “Connecting Students Across Elementary Schools: Leveraging Sports to Build Friendships.”

Cailtin Solis and Zoe Stahl of Mamaroneck Union Free School District were awarded first place for the Local and Community Based Action Project category for their project, “Raising Awareness of Local History: Historic Walking Tour.”

Sophia Lord of Rye City School District was awarded first place for the Federal and State Based Action Project category for her project, “The Effects of Pesticides on Parkinson's Disease and Overall Health.”

Students from Harrison Central School District, Mamaroneck Union Free School District, Rye City School District, Rye Neck Union Free School District, White Plains City School District, and Yonkers Public Schools were represented.

Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “I was so pleased to welcome high school seniors from across my district to my first annual Seal of Civic Readiness Fair. Achieving the New York Seal of Civic Readiness is no small accomplishment. Through the thoughtfulness of each project, I am energized and left feeling optimistic by these young people and the bright ideas and determination they bring to the future of New York State. Congratulations to all these students on this achievement. 

“Thank you to White Plains Public Library for opening your space for this program, to the teachers and school administrators for your steadfast support to your students, and to Legislator Ulaj and former Deputy Mayor Grangenois-Thomas for joining me as judges.” 

In order to obtain the Seal of Civic Readiness, a student must complete all requirements for a New York State local or Regents diploma and earn a total of six points with at least two points in Civic Knowledge and at least two points in Civic Participation. Students may also earn points by completing a middle school Capstone project or a high school Capstone project.

In order to achieve the Seal of Civic Readiness, students must: 

1. Demonstrate a fundamental and functional knowledge of government, law, history, geography, culture, economics, and current events.  These may include inequities within our democratic system at the federal, state and local level. Students should know how to apply this knowledge to different circumstances and settings.
2. Demonstrate a broad array of critical analytic, verbal, communication, media literacy and other skills and participate in a wide variety of actions. Students should practice such actions both inside and outside of school on a regular basis.
3. Demonstrate the mindset of a participant in a democratic society. A civic mindset is a commitment to democratic interpersonal and intrapersonal values, virtues, attitudes, and beliefs and informed actions that promote and facilitate meaningful participation in civic life.  It is an understanding of self as part of and responsible to larger social groups.
4. Participate in developmentally appropriate civic experiences. Civic readiness should be developed in a variety of settings and ways—inside and outside of the classroom, across content areas, and for multiple purposes. Civic Readiness should be promoted by engaging students in relevant experiences that include students as active participants.

L to R: Legislator Emiljana Ulaj, former Deputy Mayor Joan Grangenois-Thomas, Senator Shelley Mayer, Jane Radcliff and Ella Ward.

L to R: Former Deputy Mayor Joan Grangenois-Thomas, Cailtin Solis, Zoe Stahl, Senator Shelley Mayer, and Legislator Emiljana Ulaj.

L to R: Senator Shelley Mayer, Sophia Lord, Former Deputy Mayor Joan Grangenois-Thomas, and Legislator Emiljana Ulaj.