On Thursday evening, more than 50 students and their families gathered at Heritage Middle School in Berwyn for the first civics and social studies-themed family night, an event filled with fun, games and education. Community members had the opportunity to see young leadership firsthand and learn about the different civic education programs at Heritage Middle School, such as Our American Voice (OAV), which seeks to teach youth about democracy, civic engagement and the democratic process through community problem solving. “Programs like OAV, ME to WE and our new Social Justice elective class equip our students with the skillset to become the leaders of tomorrow,” said Heritage Assistant Principal Michelle Hauer. “Thursday’s event provided us with a platform to showcase not only these programs, but the ability of our students to make a positive difference for both fellow classmates and members of the Berwyn community.” Building off last year’s social action project, current OAV students were on-hand to assist community members with online voter registration. Students also spoke directly to the evening’s participants about what civics and social action means to them and how they’ve played a leading role in bringing many of the core lessons to life. State Representative Elizabeth Hernandez (24th District) discussed her role in the State Legislature and hosted an informational tax seminar. Additionally, Berwyn City Clerk Marge Paul spoke about the early voting process in advance of next month’s primary, as well as a local storm water research project.