EC Chamber prepares for area finalists to compete in local civics bee competition
EAU CLAIRE — Tina Probst from the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce said that everything is nearly set for them to host 20 students at a regional National Civics Bee competition in Eau Claire.
'We have 20 finalists selected, and all 20 have been confirmed,' said Probst, the chamber's director of workforce and emerging talent. 'But we did receive more than that; we had a good handful of submissions this year.'
Earlier in the year, the chamber was accepting submissions from middle school students grades six through eight for the 2025 National Civics Bee, where students had to identify a community issue, propose a solution and highlight individual organizations that could collaborate on the issue. On April 12, the top 20 of those submissions will compete in a live competition at DeLong Middle School. While the chamber is in their second year of participating in this competition, this is the first year that they will be able to host a local event for area finalists.
'Last year, we did plan on hosting a local competition, however with the healthcare closure we had to adjust our plans with it. We had a pool of students that had submitted for the Eau Claire Chamber's local competition, but those finalists were just transferred to Wausau.'
Probst said local students participating will be representing DeLong, South Middle School, Northstar Middle School, Ladysmith Middle and High School, Somerset Middle School, Colfax Middle and High School and Durand-Arkansaw Middle and High School.
'I think it is going fantastic,' she said. 'I work with chambers from across the state that are also hosting this competition, and the Eau Claire Chamber was able to see the most essay submissions come through, which is really encouraging because we are seeing that young people have these amazing ideas about what we can do to improve our communities and who can be at the table for it. It gives me a lot of encouragement about the generation that is coming up, and the students that are going to be future leaders some day.'
Now preparing for the upcoming competition, Probst said, 'We are very fortunate to have all of our volunteer positions for judges and for our MC filled. At this point, what we are doing is really making sure that the students know they are supposed to be studying for this event and talking with the parents, helping them to understand what to expect so that they can communicate that to their child. And we are planning the layout of the event and the content… There is not a ton left to do other than making sure that students are aware of what is happening and that we are preparing them for what they can expect.'
A cash prize will be awarded to the top three finalists and all three will move onto the state competition in Madison. From there, a winner at the state level will get the opportunity to participate in a national competition.
'This is an event where if you want your faith restored in humanity, come listen to the ideas of these middle schoolers,' said Probst. 'We would really encourage anyone from the public that wants to attend, they are welcome to. It is a free event, it is family friendly and it is a great way to highlight the amazing talent and amazing ideas that are coming out of our local schools here.'
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