In the Room
Where It Happened
Service Stations
Before the conversation, the work.
This summer the Bug, Stallion, and Hawk fires burned across Washoe County, and crews from across the region held the line while tens of thousands of us evacuated. The evening opens with hands-on service stations honoring those first responders and the veterans in our community.
Twenty-five years ago the enduring image of September 11 was of first responders moving toward danger while everyone else moved away. Northern Nevada watched the same thing happen in our own foothills this August.
- Cards for first responders Write a note to the crews who worked the fire lines north and west of Reno. Materials provided, no artistic ability required.
- Shift bags Assemble grab-and-go bags for responders on duty: protein bars and jerky, electrolyte mixes, coffee packets, mints and gum.
- Cards for veterans Write a card for a veteran receiving care through the VA Sierra Nevada Healthcare System in Reno.
These are practical projects guests can complete on site in the half hour before the panel begins. No experience needed, and no obligation. Come early if you would like to take part, or arrive at 5:30 for the discussion.
Service programming presented in partnership with Youth Service America as part of the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.
The Evening
This is not a history lesson. It is an invitation to sit in the room.
From the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Convention to the Federalist Papers, our panel traces the ideas that built the country, then turns to how those principles actually operate today in Nevada's courtrooms, council chambers, and boardrooms.
The conversation will be built around questions like these:
- How did we get from the America of 250 years ago to the America of today?
- What does the Constitution look like in practice, right now?
- Which founding principles are most tested by modern challenges?
- What will it take to ready the next generation for their turn in the room?
Your panel
A moderated discussion bringing together three people who work with the Constitution from very different seats: the bench, city government, and the classroom.
- Chief Justice Douglas W. Herndon Nevada Supreme Court
- Zelalem Bogale Reno City Attorney Elect
- Tom Powell Constitutional scholar
Executive Director, Nevada Center for Civic Engagement
Approximately 75 seats. Open to Chamber members, educators, and the community. One registration per person, please.
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce
4065 S. Virginia St. #101, Reno, NV 89502
Nevada's National Civics Bee Kickoff
This program officially launches the National Civics Bee in Nevada, a free competition for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders created by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Students write four short answers: imagine a change that would improve their school or community, describe how they would bring it to life, find the people who could help, and connect the idea back to the principles the country was founded on.
Public, private, charter, and homeschool students are all eligible, at no cost. Top essays advance to live regional Bees, then state finals, then a national championship in Washington, D.C.
Constitution Week in Southern Nevada
If you are closer to Las Vegas, there is a second Constitution Week event five days later, and it is free.
Constitution Week at UNLV
A panel from the UNLV Boyd School of Law and the Friends of UNLV History on American history and why it still matters at 250. Professors David Tanenhaus, AB Wilkinson, and Maryam Ahranjani, moderated by Professor Michael Green. Registration is free and a reception follows.
Southern Nevada teachers and We the People students, this one is for you.
The Fall Civic Calendar
No other stretch of the school year hands you this many built-in reasons to teach civics. Only one of them is required.
The library below is built for Constitution Day, but much of it carries straight through the fall. If you cannot find what you need for one of these dates, email engage@nvcce.org and tell us what to add. That is how the library grows.
Constitution Day Teaching Resources
Federal law requires each educational institution receiving federal funds to hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 each year. When September 17 falls on a weekend or holiday, the program may be held the preceding or following week.
September 17, 2026 falls on a Thursday, so the exception does not apply this year. Everything below is free.
Constitution Day Resources
The single best hub: Signers' Hall virtual tour, short videos, podcasts, primary sources, and preamble puzzles. Start here if you only open one link.
Constitution Day Activities & Teaching Resources
Games, lessons, and videos, including Race to Ratify, Do I Have a Right?, and Constitutional Compromise. Reliable engagement for a single period.
Constitution Day 2026 — "Road to the Constitution"
This year's theme covers 1776 to 1787, with K–12 Constitution Day Live videos, a digital student passport, and free pocket Constitutions for classrooms.
Constitution EXPLAINED
Thirty-five short videos made with iCivics and constitutional scholar Linda R. Monk, plus free primary documents and a 1787–1992 timeline.
Celebrating Constitution Day
Public-facing hub where visitors can virtually "sign" the Constitution, a simple and memorable hook for younger students and families.
Classroom Resource Library
Filter by topic, grade, subject, resource type, and, usefully, how much time you have.
The Constitution of the United States
All four original pages, the full transcript including a Spanish-language version, and high-resolution downloadable images.
Constitution Day Teacher Resources
Curated primary sources, including the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights, with lesson plans and an annotatable interactive ebook.
The Constitution: Document-Based Activities
Ready-made activities on the three branches, the First Amendment, and analyzing the Fifth, plus a tool to build your own from Archives documents.
The Interactive Constitution
Clause-by-clause text paired with essays from scholars who disagree with each other, the best way to show students that constitutional interpretation is a live argument.
Constitution Annotated
Authoritative plain-English analysis of every clause, grounded in Supreme Court case law. The best free reference for teachers prepping content and for advanced students.
Constitution 101 Curriculum
A free fifteen-module semester curriculum, with separate teacher-led high school and middle school versions.
Constitution 101 (self-paced)
The student-facing version of the same curriculum, in nine units. Good for independent study or a student who wants to go further than class allows.
Teaching the Constitution
Materials mapped directly to specific articles and amendments, plus 65+ videos and the games That's Your Right, NewsFeed Defenders, and Branches of Power. Entirely free.
Founding Principles & Civic Virtues
The framework behind the Civics Bee's most heavily weighted essay question, with student handouts at both elementary and secondary levels.
We the People Level 3 Resource Center
Unit-by-unit online companion to the Level 3 textbook, with primary documents and the court decisions behind each unit.
Constitution Day Lessons
Free downloadable lesson plans for grades 3–12 from the organization formerly known as the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
We the People
Inquiry-based constitutional curriculum at three levels, upper elementary, middle, and high school, culminating in a simulated congressional hearing.
Project Community
Students identify a community problem, research it, build a policy proposal, and defend it in a simulated public hearing. Available K–12.
Ask the Expert
Monthly virtual field trips and speaker series, including a Constitution module covering the First Amendment in schools and Nevada-specific topics.
National History Day in Nevada
Historical research and presentation, with Youth Categories for fourth and fifth graders: podcast, poster, and performance.
KidsVention & Student Mock Election
Now in its 29th year. Four debates pairing students with Nevada elected officials, plus mock election lesson materials and online ballots.
Law Day
Every May 1, legal professionals come into Nevada classrooms to teach on the American Bar Association's annual theme.
Inquiry Lessons
Standards-aligned inquiry lessons built around compelling questions, with linked student handouts by grade level.
Educator Summer Institutes
Four July institutes at UNR Lake Tahoe, including Advanced Teacher Leader: Our Constitution. Stipends, textbooks, and up to 60 professional learning credit hours.
Seal of Civics — Criteria
The official requirements: a 3.25 GPA, three social studies credits, 90% or better on the Nevada Civics Exam, satisfactory citizenship, and a service-learning project.
Diploma Seal of Civic Excellence
A $2,500 scholarship and recognition for qualifying Nevada seniors who earn the Seal.
Youth Service & Community Engagement
Service-learning pathways that connect directly to the Nevada Civic Seal and Scholarship requirements.
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
The plain-language statement of what schools must do, plus a curated Pre-K–12 resource list. ED notes it does not direct particular curricula.
Notice of Implementation (2005)
The authoritative primary source, containing the exact statutory language and the weekend rule. Cite this one if anyone asks.