Congratulations!

Your schools were selected this year's honorees. Well done! The files and links on this page will aide you in promoting your achievement internally, and with your community. If you need any further assistance, please call 415-529-8720 or email judicialoutreach@jud.ca.gov
Scoring Explained:
The application has a maximum score of 210. Schools with 170 points or more (80%) are part of this year's Award Honoree pool! Schools were scored on their use of the six proven practices (120pts). In addition, other areas representing the civics climate on campus and in the community add a max of 90 pts. LCAP and use of Judges in the Classroom were each 1 pt extra credit. Our panelists are court judges and school teachers. We have several staff from the courts, as well as the California Department of Education reviewing applications. Each application is read (or video watched) by at least two reviewers. Some are assigned three if the application contains a lot of detail. A rubric was provided for scoring. Note, the scoring process is not scientific. Meaning, some scorers may feel moved or may give points for the effort, or for overcoming challenges. While another scorer may reduce points for not following instructions, i.e. uploading a document that isn't an LCAP into the LCAP field. Every year, we strive to make this program most accessible and fair. If you have comments or feedback on this process, please share them with us! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_DIcRfvvr8eft6cY7ejltWEq8-6caNYm/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110062425772371791619&rtpof=true&sd=true
Banners Are Fun!

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Schools awarded at the level of Excellence are presented with a 4ftx4ft banner in addition to the traditional bamboo award. Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero started this tradition when she visited schools to present the Award of Excellence in 2024.
Schools at all four levels are welcome to create flags, banners, or anything they'd like to display to celebrate their achievement.
Template Link: use these high-resolution logos to create your own. Note: the banner presented by the Chief Justice includes a QR code to the Power of Democracy website and:
Co-sponsored by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond with funds provided by the California Lawyers Foundation.

Social Media
Note: templates may have other honorees' names on them. That's ok! You may still use them by saving them to your own account (Free).
Many of you are familiar with CANVA, so are we! To share your achievement, you may alter/edit this template for Facebook. Add your school district, school logo, or mascot!
Twitter/X
Use/Edit this template
Since Instagram is where all the action is, we created some fun templates for your use. Pick the one you like, edit, and save!
Questions? Send them, we'll answer them here:
What does "Award of Emeritus" Mean?
When a school achieves scores that rank it at the same level as the previous year, it receives Emeritus status. At the highest level, they do not receive a visit from the Chief Justice. They receive a bamboo award, a banner, and a letter from the Chief Justice. This level was introduced in 2025 to open the program to other schools receiving high scores.
Should we be planning for a visit?
Absolutely! Schools at every level will receive a visit by one or more judges from the California Courts. Schools at the level of Excellence will be visited by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero. When he can, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond also attends.
How your school celebrates is up to you! We'll post here a gallery to give you some ideas.
All visits will be scheduled for September 2025 to commemorate Constitution Month!
