LAWTON – Cullen Perez, MacArthur Middle School, and Remi Isom, Bishop Public School, will both compete in Oklahoma’s first Civics Bee Competition to be held in Oklahoma City next week.
They will compete with other local finalists from across the state for cash prizes and a trip to Washington, D.C., for the National Civics Bee Championship in November. The state finals will be held Aug. 21 at the Will Rogers Theatre, 4322 N. Western Ave., beginning with a 9 a.m. check-in time. Anyone wanting to watch the competition must register on the State Chamber website by Aug.
16. There is no cost to register for the event.
The Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce partnered with The Civic Trust of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host the first-of-its-kind civics competition modeled after the popular spelling bee competitions.
The challenge encourages young Americans in sixth through eighth grades to engage in civics and contribute to their communities.
Perez and Isom’s journey began with submitting a 500-word maximum essay by Feb. 19 to the local chamber, which asked the participant to identify a problem facing their community and how it might be solved. Writers were asked to explain what civic principles or systems could help address the problem and what primary sources, such as the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution, provide supporting evidence or examples for their recommendation.
A panel of judges reviewed the essay submissions and the area’s top 20 students moved on to the live event held April 10 at the Albert Johnson Sr. Conference Center in Lawton for cash awards and to advance to the state finals Aug. 21.
“The Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce is participating in the National Civics Bee because we believe that informed and active citizens make for a strong country, a strong economy, and a strong workforce, and that our continued prosperity depends on the strength of all three,” said a statement on their website, lawtonfortsillchamber. com. “Through the Bee, we are promoting greater civic knowledge in Oklahoma and celebrating our civic pride.”
The Civics Bee is an initiative of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation and was launched in 2022 in five communities. After partnering with local and state chambers, the competition expanded this year to 28 states, including Oklahoma.
“We are sounding the alarm on the declining civic knowledge among our nation’s youth,” said Carolyn Cawley, president of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation, in a news release.
Americans’ understanding of civic processes and systems are lacking according to recent studies, according to the national chamber. More than one-third of U.S. adults cannot name the three branches of government.
Another key statistic published on the U.S. Chamber website included findings commissioned through a research company that 70% of Americans failed a basic civics literacy quiz, which included topics like the three branches of government, the number of Supreme Court justices and other basic civic functions. Only half of the people polled were able to correctly name the branch of government where bills become laws.
Perez and Isom will compete at the state level in a live quiz event and answer questions from judges to test their civic knowledge, with a $1,000 cash prize at stake for the first-place student and a trip to Washington, D.C. with total prizes available worth more than $50,000.