Three civic-minded students qualified for state and won cash prizes at the regional National Civics Bee competition April 18 at Port Orchard City Hall.
Standing out among the competitors was seventh-grade Washington Virtual Academy student Ilyannie Gonzalez, whose passionate stance on gun violence had Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu telling her she should be running for Congress. Gonzalez won $500 by placing first.
“I have to admit that before I started studying for this, I knew zero about civics,” she said. “I feel like it is really important that the next generation has a voice in these issues, and the National Civics Bee has been a big part of that.”
Also advancing to state were runner-up Elliott Bush ($250), a sixth-grader from John Sedgwick Middle School and third-place finisher Josie Weis ($125), an eighth-grader from Cedar Heights Middle School. They presented on the issues of homelessness and sex trafficking of underage children.
Elliott led all competitors with 18 correct answers in the first two rounds. “It’s been a big dream of mine,” Bush said about moving on to state. “I did not think I’d get as far as I did today.”
Thirteen middle school students from Kitsap County and surrounding area schools competed in the first-of-its-kind competition for Kitsap.
“The kids were fabulous,” said County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, a judge along with Putaansuu and Bremerton port commissioner and president Gary Anderson. “They know about the world around them, and they know how to put it into words.”
Annette Stewart, who helped organize the event, called the subject of civics a forgotten knowledge. She said, “Even as adults, we don’t know much about civics either, and it’s such an important piece of life.”
The event was hosted by the South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce, one of six chambers listed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation as participants statewide. Washington was one of 28 states hosting competitions that will culminate in Washington, D.C., this November.
The 13 competitors participated in two rounds of 10 multiple-choice questions each. Audience members were invited to answer the questions on their personal devices.
SK chamber executive director Jaclyn Williams said the competition can be an eye-opener. “You find that most of the parents and even me find that these questions are very difficult, and you’ll probably miss them.”
The field was then reduced to five students, who gave short summaries of their previously submitted essays on problems facing their respective communities and how to solve them.
The interest to host a civics bee, SK chamber executive assistant Jaclyn Williams said, comes from a belief that well-informed citizens can make a country stronger. “Civics is a very integral part of these kids’ education,” she said. “Having things like this where it promotes civics education and brings those children to adulthood knowing these things is really important.”
State is June 29 at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts in Olympia.
