ANAHEIM, Orange County — October 27, 2026. At South Junior High School, civic education is not just a chapter in a textbook: students propose campus improvements, debate solutions in a student senate and use Minecraft Education to design responses to community challenges. The California Courts newsroom highlighted the Anaheim school’s work Tuesday in a new feature about its 2026 Civic Learning Award of Excellence.
The award itself is not new today: state judicial officials announced the 2026 honorees in May, and South Junior High held its celebratory campus visit on September 28. The October 27 story adds a closer look at how the programs operate and why educators elsewhere are studying them.
Students choose issues that matter on campus
During the visit, 40 students received official South Senate shirts and discussed priorities before choosing a student-driven campaign. This year’s issue is seeking air conditioning for the school gymnasium. Last year, their effort centered on modern filtered drinking-water fountains on campus. These are student proposals and priorities; the court report does not establish that the air-conditioning project is approved or funded.
Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero administered the students’ oath of office and spoke with them about public service, leadership and opportunities in the legal profession.
What does Minecraft have to do with government?
Students and their teachers use Civic Design in Minecraft Education to plan and visualize community improvements. The effort has appeared in South Junior High’s award submissions since 2023 and is now being replicated elsewhere in the Anaheim Union High School District and in other counties, according to the courts’ October feature.
The Orange County Office of Education plans a 2027 “Battle of the Counties” event using civic and esports activities in Minecraft Education. Teams are expected to investigate real local problems and present solutions. Interested schools should consult official organizers for registration and eligibility rather than assume sign-ups are open.
Why this award matters
The state describes this as South Junior High’s second Award of Excellence and ninth Civic Learning Award overall since 2016. The highest recognition is reserved for schools demonstrating broad and replicable integration of civic learning throughout their school communities.
California Courts also identified Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Elementary School in Sacramento and Norwalk High School as the other 2026 top-award recipients. South Junior High’s feature offers a concrete example for Anaheim families interested in how school leadership and technology can complement classroom instruction.
Sources: California Courts, October 27 school profile; original May 1, 2026 awards announcement.
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