PROVIDENCE – An educator who has taught social studies at Burrillville High School for the past seven years has received an award recognizing the importance of civics education and the role it plays in a vibrant democracy.
Jacquelyn Keable accepted the jury prize in the 17th annual Susan B. Wilson Civic Education Merit Awards during a ceremony at the Rhode Island State House on Thursday, April 2.
Named in honor of Susan B. Wilson, a founding member of the League of Women Voters South County, the award aims to encourage teachers engaged in civics education, and to honor exceptional work in this area. A proponent for education and civic engagement, Wilson helped organize the local chapter of the league in 1964, and also held voter workshops for adults in local schools.
“An educated electorate is the cornerstone of our democracy and educating students, some of whom are about to vote for the first time, about the importance of their responsibility as citizens and voters is crucial,” notes a write up on the awards program from the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island.
A Burrillville native, Keable received her bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s in special education and teaching from Providence College. She was hired a a social studies teacher for the Burrillville School District in 2017, and is also the head coach of the BHS track and field program.
Keable assisted in the creation of BHS’s Law and Public Safety Pathway in her first year of teaching, and has taught civics through law in the school’s elective course, Law and Society. For the past two years, she has taught AP US Government and Politics.
Tara Seger of Scituate High School earned RILWV’s grand prize of $2,000, and a team of Educators from Highlander Charter School in Providence won $500 for honorable mention in the contest.
Keable’s jury prize came with a $1,000 merit award, to be spent at her discretion. Minority Leader Sen. Jessica de la Cruz also recognized the Burrillville educator with a Senate citation.
