Our community thrives on the foundations of civics, and here at The Osceola Chamber, we were very excited to recently introduce the National Civics Bee® to Osceola County and Central Florida! This initiative encourages middle schoolers to learn about American democracy, engage constructively in their communities, and build trust in their fellow citizens and institutions. In partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, The Osceola Chamber hosted the first local competition of the National Civics Bee in Central or South Florida last Friday, April 25.
Last November, The Osceola Chamber worked with the Osceola County School District to invite middle schoolers in 6th, 7th, and 8thgrades from public, private, charter, and home schools to participate in a civics essay competition as a first round. Students identified a civic issue in their community and proposed a solution. Community leaders from across the country reviewed the essays and the top 20 highest-scoring students from the area were invited to participate in a live competition. This local final round was one of only three that took place across Florida this year, which is the first year our state has participated in any capacity.
The local competition featured two rounds of civics quiz questions emceed by Chamber President/CEO John Newstreet, providing a platform for students to showcase their civics knowledge. The five top-scoring students from the first two rounds then moved on to a Q & A round of questions that directly dealt with their essay topics. These questions came from a panel of guest judges. Judges for the local competition were Tameara Crespo, City Clerk, City of Kissimmee; Mia Poinsette, Executive Director, Poinsette Foundation; Robin Hinson, Emergency Management Officer, Osceola County Office of Emergency Management; Kate Hammond, VP of Education, Junior Achievement; and Judge Christine Arendas, Ninth Judicial Circuit.
At the end of the Q & A round, the winners were Araoluwakiitan Afolabi of Voyager K-8 in St. Cloud in first place, Benjamin Gideon Bruehl of Altamonte Christian School in second place, and Mitran Loganathan Mohanraj of PineView School in Sarasota County in third place. Following the competition, all finalists enjoyed pizza donated by our friends at Papa John's and had fun taking photos with our National Civics Bee backdrop and giant check! We applaud the 15 students who came to play that day and the excellent job they did answering questions that many of us would find challenging! We are sure to see great things from them in the future! Who knows? Maybe there is a future mayor, senator, or even president among them?
All participants took home the Amazon Fire tablet used in competition, as well as a National Civics Bee t-shirt and goody bag. Local winners received $500 cash for first place, $250 for second place, and $100 for first place. They will now go on to compete in the National Civics Bee® Florida State Finals at Florida State University in Tallahassee on May 31. At the state competition they will have the opportunity to win additional cash prizes, and the first-place winner of the State Finals will earn a trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Championship in the Fall of 2025. Prizes at the National Championship include a grand prize of $100,000 for first place, $25,000 for second place, and $15,000 for third place.
As John put it, “Our great country and every community within the United States is built on the foundation of civics. Middle schoolers are at the perfect age to become better informed about American democracy as well as learn to respectfully and constructively engage in our community. The National Civics Bee provides a great platform for our young Americans to build greater trust in others and in our institutions. Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and Osceola County will benefit in the short term and long term when citizens are knowledgeable about how government works, lessons learned from our past, and constructive ways to engage in the process – a process which affects each and every one of us each and every day.”
Want to learn more about the National Civics Bee? Click here to watch a sizzle reel and here to visit the National Civics Bee “How It Works” page.
Christina was raised in St. Cloud and holds degrees from the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida. She joined the Chamber in April 2015. As Director of Administration, she manages the Area Council’s events, sub-committee meetings, projects, and board engagements.
