On Friday, April 24th, the Berlin Middle High School cafeteria was a marketplace of ideas, with seniors sharing and pitching their civic service projects to juniors at a Civic Service Fair. These seniors, who have dedicated the school year to building community partnerships through the Civic Seal of Readiness pilot program, aim to transition their work to next year’s government and economics students, ensuring their projects continue to grow and thrive.

Government and Economics teachers, Mr. Erik Viner and Mrs. Michelle Baldwin, were highly impressed by the energetic atmosphere and thrilled to witness the expansion of the Seal of Civic Readiness pathway, not only within the school but also in its broader engagement with the BCSD community.

“Our students have been working hard since October on different projects around the community,” said Mr. Viner. “Some of them have gotten involved in more traditional volunteer organizations, such as the League of Women Voters and the Stephentown Historical Society, while others have created their own initiatives, like Seniors for Seniors and Nerds 4 Birds.”

The event was well-supported by several community partners who were present to encourage the seniors’ presentations and their pitch to the juniors, which helped strengthen relationships and generate excitement about the future growth and sustainability of these projects.

 “It’s been really exciting to see them develop a sense of community over the past few months,” said Viner. “Even more exciting is how these programs will now be picked up by the junior class and carried on into next year. The Seal of Civic Readiness really does provide us with incredible new opportunities for educational growth and community service.”

The Berlin Central School District’s New York State Seal of Civic Readiness program, approved for the 2025-2026 school year, has engaged high school seniors in Government and Economics classes in developing service-learning projects that target community needs. 

The BHS program was recently featured on the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) website during Civic Learning Week, a time to recognize the important role education plays in sustaining our democracy. The NYSED spotlight was on the Berlin Seniors for Seniors civics project. Find it here: https://www.nysed.gov/standards-instruction/march-12-2026-civic-voices-action