Fresno County middle and high school students will present service projects they have organized at a Youth Civic Service Showcase on Wednesday, May 10, at the Tower Theatre in Fresno.

The showcase is being presented by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools and the Civic Education Center, a local nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes youth civic engagement in K-12 schools across the county.

The recently released results of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, showed that only 22% of eighth graders tested as proficient or better in civics. Showcase organizers say Wednesday’s event is intended to inspire students and educators to get involved and to provide them with the resources and support for projects that will make a positive change in their community.

“Schools need to help students understand, cherish, and be willing to protect our democratic ideas … and pursue that continual struggle to create a more perfect union,” Fresno County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michele Copher said in a news release.

The showcase is free and will be from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Sponsors for the Civic Education Center include the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, the Kashian Family Foundation, Valley Children’s Hosptial Health foundations, the Bonner Family Foundation, the Fresno Chafee Zoo, and Fresno and Sanger unified school districts.