Marc Sirico, a social studies teacher at Pelham Memorial High School, is one of the 10 finalists for the National Civics Teacher of the Year Award, the Bill of Rights Institute announced Tuesday.

Sirico was picked after a national search that encouraged educators, students, parents and community members to nominate teachers for consideration, the institute said in a press release. All of the nominees submitted essays to the institute, a national nonprofit that works to advance civics and history education.

“I was nominated back in June and wrote an essay on the importance of civics education at the beginning of the summer,” Sirico said in an email. “I believe that civics education is essential to sustain our constitutional democracy, and civics educators are a core component of ensuring that our youth have the requisite knowledge, skills and dispositions to be active participants in civil society. Students that have formal civics instruction are more inclined to participate in their communities, obey the law, maintain attention to public issues, and most importantly, vote.”

The finalists represent 10 different states and every region of the country.

“I was recently interviewed by Laura Vlk, the director of educator engagement at the Bill of Rights Institute,” as the group works to select the top civics teacher in the country, Sirico said. “We should know the outcome shortly.”

All finalists receive a $1,000 prize and the winner $5,000.

“Civic education offers students the opportunity to learn America’s founding principles, understand our nation’s story and develop the skills they need for a lifetime of citizenship,” said Bill of Rights Institute President-CEO David Bobb in the release. “Civics teachers are essential to the future of our communities and our nation, and we are honored to give them the support and recognition they deserve.”

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