Three Johnson City middle schoolers advance to state Civics Bee competition
The National Civics Bee program was developed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and The Civic Trust to encourage civic education among 6th to 8th-grade students across 47 states. The Johnson City Chamber of Commerce and the City of Johnson City partnered with the foundation to host the event for the second year.
'It's really a chance for them to like, practice using their voice to fight for justice and speak up for people that maybe don't have the bandwidth to do so and to fight to, you know, address those inequalities that we have in society,' Heather Champney, parent of a contestant, said.
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20 finalists gathered at the Langston Centre to perform in a live quiz and Q&A session for cash prizes and a chance to compete in the state and national competitions. Participants previously submitted a 750-word essay.
The top three finalists moved on to the state National Civics Bee competition, which will be in Nashville this spring. The results from the local competition are below:
1st place: Anneliese Crider, 8th grade at University School ($600 prize)
2nd place: Broderick Ward, 8th grade at Liberty Bell Middle School ($300 prize)
3rd place: William Tran, 8th grade at Liberty Bell Middle School ($175 prize)
'Showing the next generation how they fit into the process of democracy and governing is something we are committed to doing, and the National Civics Bee program is one of the best ways to do it,' Bob Cantler, Johnson City Chamber President/CEO, said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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