Jodi LaMont attended the State Civic Bee a few months ago. It was a first-time experience for the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Director of Internal Operations. She was impressed. The topics participants selected and the solutions they presented addressed issues important to the middle school age contestants.
LaMont returned home with a mission to host a civic bee in Bay County. She’s watching that mission come to life now.
The
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host a nonpartisan civics competition next spring. Local students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades will have the chance to test their civics knowledge to win recognition and cash, along with the opportunity to compete in the National Civics Bee in Fall 2025.
Topics presented by contestants at this year’s State Civic Bee included issues such as the inequity of dress codes in schools between male and female students and changing a school mascot due to misappropriation.
“The participants covered issues important to them,” says LaMont. “Their solutions to address the problems were impressive. In changing the school mascot, the student included opportunities to involve the Native American culture in their school in the plan for change.”
LaMont is eager to see what students in Bay County tackle in essay applications.
“It’s so important to get young people engaged at an early age,” says LaMont. “It shows them they have a voice. Ultimately, getting students involved in civics encourages them to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions … and how they can help shape policies.”
The Chamber is currently working to spread the word about the local Civics Bee. Middle school students from public, private, charter, and home schools can compete. The Chamber hopes to get 100 essay submissions from area students.
The top 20 students will compete locally, with the top three contestants moving on to participate in the state competition. One winner from each state advances to the national competition. Local cash prizes of up to $500 are awarded. The National Civics Bee offers more than $50,000 in prizes.
“The young participants get involved in making change in their community,” adds Magen Samyn, Bay Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. “They learn the process toward progress and become more engaged as a result. It will be exciting to see where students go in the future.”
State and local chambers are joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, hosting Civic Bee competitions to promote greater civic knowledge in Michigan. The competitions involve four phases, starting with an essay response to a prompt provided by the National Civics Bee.
Local competitions consist of essay winners participating in a 90-minute, in-person event with two rounds of civics questions and a question-and-answer session. The top three winners move on to a similar competition at State Finals. One student represents the state at the National Civics Bee in Washington DC.
In addition to gaining knowledge about American democracy, student contestants learn how to engage in the democratic process to foster change and progress. In competing, they enhance their writing and public speaking skills – important skills for the future leaders of our world.
Applications for students to participate in the local Civics Bee will open this fall. The Bay Area Chamber will host the competition event in early 2025. Details will be announced soon. The Chamber is also recruiting volunteers to help in sponsoring the Civic Bee and looking for judges to select top contestants.
For more information on the upcoming local Civics Bee, contact LaMont at the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce at
(989) 893-4567 Ext: 224 or jodi@baycityarea.com.
Check out the Chamber’s website for updates.
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