Kootenai County students win honors in Idaho civics contest

A Rathdrum homeschool student and a Post Falls High School video team put Kootenai County on the scoreboard in Idaho’s 2026 high school civics contest, showing how local teens are using essays and film to test their ideas about citizenship, government and voice. Emma Shafer won first place in the essay category and $1,000, while Sophia Davidson, McKenna Miller and Aidrian Gilliland took third in the video category and received $250.

The contest, announced by the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, was built around a theme that tied student work to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence: “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Your Voice. Your Story. Your America.” High school students in grades 9 through 12 could submit essays or video presentations, including students in public, private, parochial and charter schools, along with homeschooled students of equivalent status.

For Kootenai County, the awards point to a civics culture that reaches beyond one classroom model. Shafer’s win shows a homeschooled student in Rathdrum participating at the same level as students from larger Idaho districts, while the Post Falls High School trio placed among the state’s video entries. The contest rewarded not just memorization of government facts, but the ability to turn civic ideas into a polished argument or presentation.

District of Idaho winners receive $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third in each category. First-place winners also move on to the Ninth Circuit’s broader civics contest, with the possibility of travel and accommodations to attend part of the 2026 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference along with a parent or guardian.

The broader contest drew 1,043 essays and 185 videos across the Ninth Circuit, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. From those entries, 45 essays and 44 videos advanced from district contests to preliminary review, and 12 essays and 12 videos reached final judging. The six circuit winners shared $11,400.

The contest is sponsored by the Ninth Circuit Public Information and Community Outreach Committee, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the federal courts in the circuit. Prize money and contest costs are funded through attorney admission fees collected by the courts for educational programs, linking the project to the court system’s broader public outreach work.

For Kootenai County, the results suggest civics is becoming more than a graduation requirement. In Rathdrum and Post Falls, students are being asked to speak in their own voices about the country they live in, and those ideas are now being recognized far beyond their own schools.