Twelve Guilderland High School students have earned the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness — the first cohort to earn this distinction at GHS. The objective of the Seal of Civic Readiness is to empower students to make informed decisions for the public good while having a positive impact in their communities through civic knowledge, skills and actions, mindsets, and experiences.
This award is denoted by a seal affixed to the student’s diploma and a notation on the student’s high school transcript. At GHS, students complete the requirement for the Seal of Civic Readiness as part of the Teacher Corps course, and in particular, its civics capstone project. Teacher Corps is aligned with the University at Albany for students to earn college credit; GHS is one of only five schools in NYS that provides this opportunity for college credit.
Led by teachers Tyler Lutjen and John Ouckama, Teacher Core introduces students in grades 11 and 12 to the teaching profession while empowering them to examine civic issues that impact young children. Over the course of the year, students first explore the foundations of education and then transition into active classroom roles at Westmere Elementary School, where they teach younger students critical topics including bullying prevention, self-esteem, decision-making, diversity and tolerance and digital literacy.
“This was a transformative experience for this group of students,” said Mr. Lutjen. “We could not have been prouder or more impressed with this first cohort. They’ve truly set the bar high.”
Beyond their work in elementary classrooms, the students also completed the Seal of Civic Readiness required capstone project. Throughout the year, working in teams of two, the GHS students identified an issue within the school community, conducted extensive research and developed a realistic, actionable solution for the district. All ten partner teams presented the result of their work to the GHS Seal of Civic Readiness Committee, which was composed of teachers, school counselors and administrators. Three of these partnerships were selected by this committee to present their work to the Board of Education at their meeting on June 10. Topics included digital literacy, addressing the decline in student attention spans and inclusion to reduce the stigma of special education.
Congratulations to the following seniors have met the requirements to be a part of the first-ever New York State Seal of Civic Readiness cohort at GHS:
- Lily Cresswell
- Kaleb Giarrusso
- Julia Gorevich
- Alina Khan
- Ava McTiernan
- Sydney Moffitt
- Sierra Rishel
- Keira Rosen
- Abby Rudolph
- Emily Ryan
- Molly Shapiro
- Jordyn Smith
Congratulations to the following juniors who have completed their capstone work and will earn the Seal of Civic Readiness in June 2026:
- Julia Avellino
- Emma Codden
- Elena Del Rio Kostenwein
- Oliver Gilbert
- Madisyn Kowalchyk
- Emily Maguire
- Emma McCoy
- Devarshi Pandya