The National Civics Bee is an incredible democratic competition for 6th, 7th & 8th graders in our nation, read to see how you can bring it to your community!
Disclosure: I am partnering with the National Civics Bee. All opinions are my own.
National Civics Bee
Have you heard about the National Civics Bee? It was new to me too, but is a really awesome experience for 6th, 7th and 8th graders nationwide! This annual competition brings students together to engage in civics while also contributing to their communities.
As the mother of a middle schooler and a teacher, I was excited to hear about the Civics Bee competition. Initially I thought it was a spelling bee of sorts but after doing some research, I learned that I was completely wrong and that this is a grassroots focus to not only get students excited about civics, but also engaged and informed about American democracy.
Communities throughout the nation engage middle school students to take part in the first- round essay competition and the top 20 winners of the essay competition will move onto the final round of competition. The final round tests their civics knowledge in true “bee” form with a live quiz event.
Bring the Civics Bee To Your Community!
Although many communities are celebrating students’ passions for civics with the Civics Bee, many communities are missing out on this fantastic event. Teachers, parents, and local chambers can bring the Civics Bee to their community simply by contacting their local chamber. You can learn more about how to bring the Civics Bee to your community here.
There are various prizes for finalists and top winners, including cash prizes! The event is organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and entries open November 13, 2023 and close January 8, 2024.
How Can I Prepare My Middle School Student(s)?
The first thing that I googled when I learned about the National Civics Bee was how I could prepare my middle school student. The Civics Bee has put together resources for students and teachers to utilize for preparation.
To access them you can contact your local chamber, but I also have found some awesome resources on their website under the resources heading. Just click on the heading, scroll down and on the left side of the website you can select “teacher” or “student” and resource options are available right there!
How Do I Sign Up?
Parents and teachers throughout the country can check to see if their local communities are already participating in the National Civics Bee by clicking here, but MANY communities are really missing out on this incredible democratic experience.
As an educator I am always looking for ways to make learning an experience because I know that students always learn better through experience. The Civics Bee is an experience that I believe all communities should be participating in. I encourage parents and teachers throughout the nation to contact your local chamber to bring the National Civics Bee to their community through emails, social media shout outs or even letters (all of which have templates on the Civics Bee website).
