01 Apr Civically Engaged WCCUSD Students to Soon Be Recognized

The West Contra Costa school board decided March 25 to approve a way for students to gain recognition for civic engagement. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

For the first time, graduating West Contra Costa students are getting a chance to show off just how civically engaged they are on their diplomas.

Students who complete certain projects that address “real-world” problems and meet other criteria will soon be able to earn the state’s seal of civic engagement.

School board members adopted the seal at their March 25 meeting, years after it was introduced by the state. The seal is meant to formally recognize a student’s participation in their community.

“As a history teacher, I absolutely adore the idea of talking more about civics and civic engagement and what it looks like. As an elected official, I absolutely adore the idea of having our students involved in civics and civic engagement,” said board member Jamela Smith-Folds.

At least a dozen different spring 2026 projects aligned with a UC Berkeley-created framework already meet one of the criteria needed to receive the recognition.

One project by students at Richmond High School helped the City Council create new rules on tobacco retailers in February. Health academy students used their analyses of existing tobacco policy and data to present concerns about unlicensed retailers’ impact on youth vaping.

“This experience has helped me understand real-world issues and shown me how students can take action to make meaningful changes,” said Marianne, one of those students. “It has taught me responsibility, built my confidence, and shown me the value of contributing to something larger than my schoolwork.”

Summer Sigler, associate superintendent of K-12 school operations, said that additional projects would likely qualify.

“One of the things that we anticipate is that as we go through these applications, we will find things we didn’t think of, and it’s going to make us refine for next year,” said Sigler. “Our goal this year is to say, did they do quality work? Did they reflect on the work? And are they within the spirit of what we’re asking them to do?”

At the request of board member Leslie Reckler, the criteria will also include eligible students pre-registering to vote and counting relevant volunteer and work experience toward the recognition.

School districts in Antioch, Oakland and San Leandro also offer the seal to students based on their own criteria.

Smith-Folds questioned how accessible the process is for students who attend class virtually or have disabilities.

“The thing that is giving me a little bit of pause is the implementation,” said Smith-Folds. “How are we making sure that we’re making pathways to their success and not building in boundaries?”

Smith-Folds, for example, asked how the district was making space for certain groups of students, like those with disabilities, when it came to the written essay requirement and making public comments at a meeting.

Those concerns are in line with what the community shared, so written public comment and video essays are also acceptable, said Sigler.

In addition to completing a civic project, other requirements students have to meet to receive the recognition are: an essay about the project and experience, a letter of recommendation from someone who can speak to the “civic-mindedness” shown during the project, and maintaining a 2.5 or better GPA from sophomore to senior year.

Current seniors who have at least a 2.5 GPA may qualify by “submitting a brief reflection describing their academic growth and how they overcame earlier challenges,” according to the requirements. Seniors will also have to do two of the three: pass all required social science classes with a grade of “C” or better, make a public comment at a meeting related to the project, or be a member of a local governance committee.

The deadline for seniors to apply for the recognition is May 8.