Our History

NH Civics is the result of many dedicated individuals and organizations who believe in the promise of civics education. Both our name and our logo have changed over the years, but our focus on civics education has remained steadfast. Read on to learn more about our history.

2022

NH Civic Learning Coalition releases white paper with recommended policies to increase and improve civic learning in NH.

NH Civics partners with NHPR on Building Civic Strength: NH Community Conversations with Laura Knoy, traveling to five locations across the state: Franklin, Rindge, Nashua, Rochester, and Berlin to engage in conversations focused on what we can do to best prepare ourselves and our youth to take on the responsibilities of participation in a democratic society. This series reached over 32,000 people. Listen to the series here.

2021

Our second full-time staff member is hired: Program Manager Amanda Pawlik

Trustees approved new name: NH Civics

NH Civics leads the formation of the NH Civic Learning Coalition through a grant from CivXNow and the Carnegie Foundation.

2020

Our robust website with curriculum library was launched featuring 73 K-12 lesson plans created by NH educators following their participation in a NH Institute for Civics Education professional development opportunity.

NH Institute for Civics Education won a three-year Bezos Family Foundation service grant to bring Mikva Challenge to NH. Amanda Maguire was hired as NH Partner Site Director of Mikva Challenge.

2019

Martha Madsen was hired as full-time Executive Director.

2018

Lola Gianelli of Nashua was elected NH’s first Kid Governor. Luane Genest serves as NH’s Kid Governor coordinator.

Founder and Chair Mary Susan Leahy won the Board Impact Award from the NH Center for Nonprofits for her leadership in civics education.

2017

The NH Institute for Civics Education officially becomes a 501(c) (3). Incorporators were Mary Susan Leahy, John Greabe, Martha Madsen, Sherilyn Young, and Justice David Souter.

That year, President Martha Madsen was named to the “It List” by NH Magazine.

2016

First NH Institute for Civics Education professional development specifically for middle school teachers: Empowering Connected Citizenship: Making Civics Count in Middle School hosted by the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. Featured guests were iCivics teacher Valerie McVey, Dover Youth 2 Youth, and cartoonist educator Marek Bennett.

Read more about the NH Institute for Civics Education’s Beginnings: 2015-2016 here.

2015

The first NH Institute for Civics Education teacher professional development opportunities were held for middle and high school teachers at Dartmouth (featuring Peter Levine of Tufts and Akhil Amar of Yale Law School) and at the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm (featuring Judge Marjorie Rendell of the Rendell Center of PA, Rebecca Valbuena of Los Angeles County Unified District in CA, and NH’s own Susan and David Wolowitz.)

2014

The second William W. Treat lecture was delivered by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, founder of iCivics. She was in conversation with Justice David Souter. The NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm joined the Constitutionally Speaking partnership to host this event, as well as the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College.

First Constitutionally Speaking newsletter was created and distributed via email to teachers state-wide.

2013

The first teacher professional development hosted by Constitutionally Speaking was held at the Concord Campus of Plymouth State University during the summer. In attendance were Martha Madsen, future NH Civics Executive Director, Chris Herr, Concord High School social studies teacher and future NH Institute for Civics Education Trustee, Alison Buchholz, Plymouth State University Elementary Education Professor, and Curtis Roddy, social studies teacher at Kearsarge Regional School District, among others.

2012

The first William W. Treat lecture was delivered by Justice David Souter with Margaret Warner interviewing him. This event was a full house at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Read artist Marek Bennett’s comic summarizing this event here. The partnership hosting this event was known as Constitutionally Speaking and consisted of the New Hampshire Institute for Civics Education, the NH Supreme Court Society, NH Humanities, and UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law.

2009-2011

The New Hampshire Supreme Court Society, an organization that centers the importance of civics education and knowledge of the Constitution, leads the Civics Education Task Force, comprised of lawyers, educators, and other stakeholders (read the full list of TaskForce members here). Through this work, the New Hampshire Institute for Civics Education was created to “dramatically improve civics education in New Hampshire’s schools” with the goal to make New Hampshire “first in the nation in citizen preparation.” Read the Institute’s Plan for Establishment here.

2008

Founder Mary Susan Leahy met with a group of concerned citizens and the idea of a Civics Education Task Force was born. Among the group were incorporator Justice David Souter, Hon. John T. Broderick, Hon. Gary E. Hicks, and future NH Civics Trustees Aine Donovan, Hon. Chuck Douglas, Dianne Duncan, and Susan Wolowitz.