04-04-2025
'Gives me hope': Democracy Bowl provides students with a path for civic engagement
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Bill of Rights Institute's Chris Janson said he was inspired by area students' enthusiasm for civic engagement Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's second Democracy Bowl.
'Whenever we are part of an event like this or our own project ... I'm always blown away by what these young people are doing,' he said. 'Gives me hope for the future.'
This year's bowl brought roughly 100 students from Everett Area, Greater Johnstown, Homer-Center, Indiana Area, Northern Cambria, Portage Area and Westmont Hilltop school districts to the Richland Township campus to share their civics fair projects and compete in a trivia contest.
Keynote speaker
Drew Crompton speaks to the crowd of students and teachers at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's Democracy Bowl on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Representatives from the Bill of Rights Institute, the National Constitution Center and Fair Districts Pennsylvania were also on hand.
'I'm kind of excited doing it because civics isn't my top favorite class, but I do enjoy learning about it,' Greater Johnstown High School student Kaleena Cannady said. 'It's so important for people to understand these kind of things – where they come from, what they're kind of born into or brought into.'
Students went head-to-head in the social studies competition that tested their knowledge of congressional acts, notable court cases, founding documents, treaties, amendments and more, while they shared work they're proposing or undertaking to improve their communities.
WATCH VIDEO | Pitt-Johnstown president leads patriotic chant at Democracy Bowl
Jem Spectar, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown president, leads students and teachers in a rousing patriotic speech at the second Democracy Bowl on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
'It's important to be civically engaged,' Indiana Area High School junior Jack Lehman said. 'We probably don't do enough just in school, so this is good for us.'
He and his teammates, seniors Tim Birch and Tyler Hunter, competed in the high school trivia competition in which their classmates won first and second place.
Hunter said after the first round of questions he was enjoying himself and appreciated the basis of the event. Birch added that being up-to-date on current events is a key tenet of civic engagement.
Trivia discussion
Indiana Area High School students Jack Lehman (left), Tim Birch and Tyler Hunter confer on an answer during the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's Democracy Bowl on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Janson, the Bill of Rights Institute's senior project lead for civic learning initiatives, told the group that civic education is not just about memorizing dates and reciting historic figures. It also empowers citizens to be active members of their communities, he said.
'We hope that your work will inspire others and serve as a beacon of hope for other students,' Janson said.
Westmont Hilltop juniors Caridy Arnold and Reagan Hargreaves were happy to do just that with their presentation about the Helping Hands revitalization project in which they have taken part. The students partnered with Helping Hands of Cambria County through their public service class to perform home improvement work around the area.
'It makes you feel good that you're helping a family in need and helping our community be better,' Hargreaves said.
Project displays
Greater Johnstown High School student Loyalty Price-Murray (left) talks to judges Harry Olafsen, Vincent Gongloff and Ben Cotchen with fellow eighth-grader Sophia Hull at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's Democracy Bowl on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Arnold agreed, adding that the work will improve the area's image. She also said the opportunity to share the project at the Democracy Bowl was fantastic.
Other projects ranged from Homer-Center School District's project to address homelessness, which won first place; to Greater Johnstown High School students' plan to revitalize the Hornerstown neighborhood playground; to Portage Area School District students' idea to build a pickleball court and another focused on expanding CPR training.
Harry Olafsen, the National Constitution Center's manager of teacher engagement and civics fair judge, said he was excited to hear about the various students' work.
'It's really fantastic to see civics in action, and that is what every single one of you is doing,' he told the students.
Following the trivia finals – in which Indiana Area Junior High Team 2 took first in the middle school division and Indiana Area High School Team 1 took first in the high school division – the attendees heard from Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar.
Pep talk
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown President Jem Spectar ramps up the crowd during the second Democracy Bowl on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
The university leader led the group in a patriotic speech that often included chants of 'We the people,' while he educated them on the importance of keeping the democratic republic established by the nation's founders.
'Why we have this event is because it's nice to take a moment ... and remind yourself what is true and good about this great country,' Spectar said.
He told students that they are sovereign citizens who inherited the greatest treasure of all time by being United States citizens who were born free with inalienable rights.
'How to take part in their communities'
Drew Crompton was this year's keynote speaker and followed Spectar's remarks. Crompton is a public finance attorney with Harrisburg firm McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC; he was a Commonwealth Court judge and served the Pennsylvania Senate for decades.
He asked the learners what their opinion of democracy was and whether they thought the political process was broken.
'Democracy is messy,' he said. 'And we kind of have to embrace the fact that democracy is messy.'
Crompton said that, in his experience, government still 'generally' works. He also took questions from the crowd about his career.
Quiz finalists
Quiz master Dan Shaffer asks middle school trivia finalists questions to determine this year's winner at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's Democracy Bowl on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Mark Conlon, UPJ professor and event organizer, said the bowl was fantastic, describing it as operating better than his 'wildest dreams.' He was impressed by the turnout as well, he said, noting that there were about 130 people there, including students, teachers and UPJ undergraduates.
Tyler Johnson, Portage Area High School teacher, commended the university for the opportunity to bring students to explore the democratic process.
'I think anytime we can get kids out of the building and engage them in those important subjects – I think that's a good way to show them how to take part in their communities after (graduation),' he said.
Tony Lawrence, a Portage senior, shared a similar evaluation.
'It really gets you involved in history and the whole government process,' he said.
Raymond Wrabley, UPJ professor and vice president of academic affairs, said it was the hope of the country's founders to educate citizens on the democratic process, especially the youth.
He pointed to quotes from John Adams, who said, 'Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom,' and Thomas Jefferson, who said, 'Educate and inform the whole mass of people ... they are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.'
Wrabley thanked the students for being on campus Thursday to 'continue doing the good work, and sometimes the good trouble, of democracy.'
Spectar credited UPJ alum and Democracy Bowl donor Douglas Weimer's generosity for helping make the event a success.
Weimer is a Somerset Borough native who graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 1975 with a history degree, before earning a law degree from the University of Notre Dame's law school and going on to serve the U.S. Congress as a legislative attorney for more than three decades.
'It was my privilege to give back,' Weimer said.
He added that the university and its faculty and staff have given him and his family so much that he wanted to return the support.
Pitt-Johnstown, the Greater Johnstown School District, the Bill of Rights Institute and The Tribune-Democrat sponsor the bowl, which is organized through the university's American Civic Education and Literacy Initiative.
