Civic Assessment: AP Government students in Barren County

BARREN COUNTY, Ky. – With the 2023 Civic Health Assessment Report now public since yesterday, it is interesting to hear about the number of people who do not know much about the government or how it works here in Kentucky.

Barren County Schools is trying to fight this through education on civic with an AP Government Class. Students take part in mock debates featuring historic presidents and learn about current events to better understand how government works from local elections to global policy.

For Alan Edberg, a senior, this class has enabled him to feel confident in how informed he is about the government and its functions.

“I’m fairly confident in my knowledge that I’ve gained not just from this class but other classes I’ve taken. So I’ve taken three different AP history classes and they all tie tied to government in some way. AP Government is just US history. So I’ve learned it through three different classes for three years, all year.” Edberg said.

For Madeline Prichard, a junior, the class has opened her eyes to how important civic engagement is throughout one’s life.

“I think that one of the things I’ve learned the most in this class is not necessarily like any dates or facts or statistics, but just that what I vote for really does matter, and that whenever I do become able to vote, I need to research what the candidates, their political views and ideologies to make sure that they really do align with my own because it matters how I vote.” Prichard said.