Kids Court Academy
This year was the fourth year of the Kids Court Academy! The Kids Court Academy (KCA) is a series of online workshops and experiences for middle and high school students to learn about civil rights and engage in deep discussions with their peers from around the state.
More information about the Kids Court Academy can be found here.
Kids Speak and Kids Court
The Kids Court Essay Competition provides an opportunity for students to write a short essay on one of five civil rights topics. Students are not required to participate in Kids Court Academy in order to compete in the Kids Court Essay Competition. Students with the top essays from Middle School and the top essays from High School will be selected as finalists to present their papers before a panel of judges.
2025 Kids Court Competition Finalists:
Middle School, grades 6-8:
- Ishvitha Balaji, from Avon Middle School, Avon CT
- Varan Arjun Tamilselvan, from Renbrook School, Farmingon CT
- Aakash Kumar, from Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Farmington CT
- Leila Chaar, from Roger Ludlowe Middle School, Fairfield CT
- Khushi Bhargava, from Avon Middle School, Avon CT
High School, grades 9-12:
- Henvika Reddy Ramireddy Gari, from Farmington High School, Farmington CT
- Lalitha Papanasam, from Farmington High School, Farmington CT
- Mehek Bhargava, from Avon High School, Avon CT
- Jacqueline Pena, from New Britain High School, New Britain CT
- Brianna Mowad, from Holy Cross High School, Waterbury CT
This year's topics are:
- Be Kind, You're a Friend of Mine
- Opportunity Gaps: Fill it in
- Civil Rights Unites
- Housing Hound: Fit Me In
- Environmental Justice: My Health Depends on It
This year's 2025 Kids Court Final Competition Program can be found here.
More information about Kids Court can be found here.
The scoring rubric for the essays can be found here.
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