As a student, Morgan Rhudy has discovered that there are few opportunities for younger voters to learn about the positions and responsibilities of local candidates. After finding that many of the positions on this year’s ballot were unfamiliar to her classmates, Morgan wanted to develop a unique forum for these candidates to connect with the district’s next generation of voters: high school students. One week before Election Day 2019, with the help of AP US Government teacher

Finding Your Voice Through Passion was a Middle School Speech and Competition that took place on January 25, 2020 at James River High School. The event was created by Shavon Walton, a senior in the Leadership and International Relations Center, who wanted to create an opportunity for middle schoolers to express themselves on topics that they are passionate about to discover their voices and prospective change on the world. Additionally, she wanted to introduce them to the wor