Welcome to CIVITAS
CIVITAS is a four-year interdisciplinary political studies and public service academy, offered exclusively at Rio Americano High School.
The Courses:
The CIVITAS program exposes students to a curriculum that they otherwise would not get in their regular high school schedule. This curriculum allows students to partake in four semester-long courses during their first two years and eventually the classes offered through the AP Capstone program.
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Students take Introduction to Political Science and State and Local Government during their freshman year. In sophomore year they will take International Relations and Speech and Communications. The AP Capstone classes are split into AP Seminar junior year and AP Research senior year.
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Most students will take the course outlined above, students may take the courses at a different grade level that best fits their schedule. The only requirement is that students have to take the courses in order.
Community Service:
CIVITAS requires students to complete 100 hours of community service hours before the start of their second semester of junior year. Students must also track and report their hours, as CIVITAS has a master record. This record is incredibly useful when it comes time to apply, not only to college, but also, jobs.
Internships:
During the last part of junior year and the summer before their senior year, students must complete a 75-hour internship of their choosing. Internships can either be political or community-based. For more information, see the internship section of this website.