The 2023-24 Peter & Leslie Richter
Civic Educator of the Year Award
Congratulations to Civic Educator of the Year
Amy Fifth-Lince (Liberty High School, Hillsboro)
“Civics education is more than just teaching a class; it is a pathway to elevating equity and an opportunity for giving voice to the multiple perspectives existing in our community spaces.” – Amy K. Fifth-Lince
We are pleased to recognize Amy Fifth-Lince’s passion and dedication to civics education with the 2023-24 Peter & Leslie Richter Civic Educator of the Year award. Amy teaches Civics and Community Service, You and The Law, and Economics at Liberty High School. In addition to serving as department chair for Liberty’s Social Studies Educators, Amy also leads the Mock Trial program and serves as faculty advisor for the school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA). Before joining Liberty’s educational team, Amy taught middle school in Portland, Oregon, and Battle Creek, Michigan.
Civics education has always underpinned Amy’s pedagogy perspective, and her collaboration with Civics Learning Project bolsters her instruction as she continuously seeks to provide students with opportunities to grow and excel. In addition to fostering student engagement in community participation via her programming, Amy also offers pupils Dual Credit college transfer opportunities through partnership with Oregon Technical Institute.
Amy’s focus on equity is at the heart of her civics education work; in conjunction with creating leadership and learning pathways for her students, Amy serves as an integral member of Hillsboro School District’s Restorative Practices Leadership Collaborative. The consortium focuses on integrating rehabilitative culture within district policies. “The hope is to promote and leverage equitable, accessible systems and education within the district,” says Amy, “So our students graduate with a sense of place, not only in their current communities, but with the empowerment to exist as active participants in society through the context of what Civic engagement means.”
In addition to being honored as CLP’s Civic Educator of the Year, Amy has been recognized for her excellence in the classroom and as a leader in education with the following awards, leadership positions, and collaborations:
- Mock Trial Program, Liberty High School – Founder, Educational Lead
- Center for Geography Education in Oregon – Peer Presenter and Educator Member
- Restorative Practices Leadership Collaborative, Hillsboro School District – Faculty Advisory Committee Member
- Community 101 Educator | Oregon Community Foundation – Tutelage collaboration offering students opportunities to engage with non-profits in their communities
- Oregon Civics Conference – Civic Scholar
- Classroom Community and Law Speaker Series Programming – Initiation of lawmakers and community stakeholder speaker series. Key leadership members visit students and share expertise.
- Oregon Institute of Technology Dual Credit Programing – Students supporting in earning transfer credit opportunities through Northwest Promise.
- Civics Learning Project – Practice-based Educational Application – Integration of hands-on experiential education for students through engagement with Mock Trial for high school and middle schoolers, Civic Action projects, Current Event discussions.
All of us at CLP are proud to know and work with Amy, and are delighted to honor her as Civic Educator of the Year.
The deadline for nominations has passed.
With the support of a generous gift from Peter and Leslie Richter, we are happy to announce that the annual award includes a $2,000 prize for the recipient. Please read nomination guidelines and instructions, and complete the form below.
To nominate a candidate:
- You must personally know your nominee – direct experience of their professional contributions is recommended
- You must be able to explain and/or provide evidence of the above qualifications when you complete the nomination form
- You do not need to inform your nominee you have submitted, but you cannot submit anonymously
- Nominations are open June 1 – September 30.
The Peter & Leslie Richter Civic Educator of the Year Honoree:
- Is a K-12 educator in Oregon
- Has participated in Civics Learning Project programs for at least 5 years
- Has participated in training other educators or assisting other educators with resources & regularly shares their expertise to help others in their professional community
- Actively collaborates with colleagues, students, families, & other stakeholders to create a strong culture of Civic Education & Engagement
- Has the respect and admiration of students, parents, colleagues, and the community
- Inspires creativity, critical thinking, active learning, and civic participation
- Is nominated by a colleague, administrator, community member, or participant of a Civics Learning Project program
- Is honored at the annual Oregon Civics Conference for Teachers in December and at Civics Learning Project’s Legal Citizen of the Year Award & Celebration
About Peter & Leslie Richter
Peter and Leslie Richter are long-time champions of civic education. Peter, who recently retired from Miller Nash, LLP after 49 years, will continue his career of learning, practicing and teaching Advocacy and Persuasion as Of Counsel with Lynch Murphy McLane, LLP in Bend. He will continue to teach Trial Advocacy at Lewis and Clark Law School and the Oregon State Bar. “Teachers and the rule of law are the backbone of our society,” he observes, “and meaningful civic education is more important now than ever.”
Past years’ honorees