YLI is proud to announce that Dayna Laur of Central York High School in York, Pennsylvania is the first ACE Award winner. Laur created a lesson plan on judicial interpretation entitled "Becoming a Supreme Court Justice." Created by Center for Politics director, Larry J. Sabato, the ACE Awards are designed to encourage the creation of rigorous, engaging and novel approaches to civic education.

Dayna Laur's lesson plan demonstrates how civics, government and the political process can enliven the classroom while effectively connecting individuals with their place in a self-governing society. In the lesson plan students are assigned a role as a Supreme Court justice and asked to research current opinions and collaborate with other justices on the bench. The lesson requires critical thinking, research skills and an understanding of the political appointment process- all of which are standards of YLI programs and resources.

Professor Sabato awarded Dayna Laur a five hundred dollar honorarium in recognition for her donation to the Youth Leadership Initiative. Laur's lesson will also be added to our lesson plan data base along with an accompanying PowerPoint presentation. We are thankful for teachers like Laur who are willing to share their creative energy with YLI.

It is our hope that the awarding of this first ACE Award will inspire more teachers to send in their engaging lesson plans during the 2007-08 school year. Established as a way to show appreciation for the tremendous contributions to the field of civic education, YLI invites all registered teachers to submit instructional materials for consideration. Open to teachers of all grade levels, lesson plans submissions will be accepted through May of 2008 on the following topics:

• Early Elementary Level (K-3) Short ten to fifteen minute activities that integrate reading and vocabulary development with civics curriculum. Topics include citizenship, leadership, community development and voting.
• Elementary/ Middle Level (4-6) Fully developed lesson/unit plans integrating reading skills and civics curriculum. Accepted topics include the presidency, the judicial branch, public policy, branches of government, federalism, grassroots and community activism, and economic policy.
• Middle/ High Level (7-9) Fully developed lesson plans incorporating skill-based instruction on the following topics: foreign policy, the presidency, balance of power, the cabinet, the relationship between state, local and federal governments, third parties, economic policy, grassroots organizations, the judicial branch and the court system.
• High School/ AP Level (10-12+) Fully developed lesson plans that address state civics and government standards and incorporate skills-based instruction on the following topics: foreign policy, the presidency, balance of power, the cabinet, economic policy, foreign policy, grassroots organizations, community activism, the Supreme Court, the judicial branch, and comparative government and politics.

All submissions must include a registration form and adhere to YLI's Standard Lesson Plan Format, which can be found by downloading the ACE Awards Registration Form. Submitted lesson materials will become the property of the Youth Leadership Initiative, and may be published on the YLI website.