The Top 5 finalists of the BV Civics Bee competition. From left to right: Max S, Ryder M, Andee Q, Simon A, and Joseph D. Photo by Carly Winchell
Middle school students from Buena Vista-area schools competed in the second annual 2024 National Civics Bee® regional competition on Sunday, April 14. The event was hosted by the Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, the Daniels Fund, and the Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Two students from Darren Patterson Christian Academy and one student from Buena Vista Middle School will be going on to the state competition later this year.
“Active citizens serve as the bedrock of a healthy democracy, and it is vital that we impart these principles to the next generation,” said Daniels Fund President and CEO Hanna Skandera. “The Daniels Fund was thrilled to partner with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to launch the National Civics Bee as a fun way for young people to become informed and engaged in our republic.”
What started as nearly 80 local essay submissions narrowed to 20 students who competed in the first two rounds of the live competition. After those rounds, the top 5 remaining students (Joseph D, Simon A, Andee Q, Ryder M, and Max S) answered questions from the judges about their essay topics. The questions during the event tested the students’ civics knowledge.
Simon A. discusses his essay during Round 3 of the 2024 Buena Vista Civics Bee live event. Simon received first place in the event. Photo by Carly Winchell
The final standings were:
First place: Simon A., Darren Patterson Christian Academy
Second place: Joseph D., Darren Patterson Christian Academy
Third place: Andee Q., Buena Vista Middle School
These top three finalists from the Buena Vista competition will have the chance to participate in the state-level competition hosted by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Kinder Morgan in Denver on May 17, 2024. The Colorado state champion will advance to the National Civics Bee® competition in Washington, D.C. held on November 12, 2024, to compete for the national title, as well as over $50,000 in prizes.
“We’re proud to work with our local chamber partners for the second consecutive year to promote active participation in government and democracy among young Coloradans,” said Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman. “We’re also thrilled that the program is expanding to the national level this year, providing a platform for students across the U.S. to engage in civic education. Congratulations to this year’s regional finalists and we look forward to hosting them in Denver to compete for the state title.”
“We host the civics bee with our co-hosts, The League of Women Voters of Chaffee County, because we believe that an intergenerational civic dialogue is absolutely vital to a well-functioning society and must be cultivated,” said Buena Vista Chamber Executive Director Liz Morgan. “That is why I am so pleased to be able create a safe space to share ideas, be heard, be inspired and to think about next steps towards addressing the real needs of our community.”
The judges work to score each of the five finalists to determine the top three students who will go on to compete at the state level. From left to right: Buena Vista Mayor Libby Fay, Buena Vista Public Library Executive Director Cecilia LaFrance, Chaffee County Commissioner Keith Baker, Chaffee County Times Editor Hannah Harn, and Ark Valley Voice Editorial Board member Daniel Smith. Photo by Carly Winchell
Ark Valley Voice served as the media sponsor for the event. Ark Valley Voice (AVV) Editorial Board member Daniel Smith served as one of the judges alongside Buena Vista Mayor Libby Fay, Chaffee County Commissioner Keith Baker, Chaffee County Times Editor Hannah Harn and Buena Vista Public Library Executive Director Cecilia LaFrance.
“I felt the 20 essays submitted by the students were very well thought out, and was very impressed with the research cited by most of them,” commented AVV‘s Dan Smith after the event. “The chamber and the League of Women Voters did a fine job of organizing the event, and of course the effort at strengthening education is vitally important. I was honored to be one of the judges.”
Chaffee County Times‘ Hannah Harn agreed with that sentiment. “I’m honored to have been invited to judge this year’s Civics Bee. It was great to see how thoughtful each of the top 20 finalists was in the essays. It was great getting to participate as a judge beside community leaders I have worked with and admire.”
“Andee, Ryder, Max, Joseph and Simon were so poised in their responses to the judges’ questions, and I was impressed by their great attitudes and support of one another,” she concluded.
Dan Ridenour of Heart of the Rockies Radio served as the emcee for the event and BV Heritage’s Suzy Kelly provided an overview of the history of the building in which the event was held.
Heading into the final round of the live event, Joseph had 14 points, Simon had 13 points, and Ryder, Andee, and Max were tied with 11 points each. The other students were dismissed from the table before each of the finalists provided a brief summary of their essay topics and answered questions from the judges.
Andee Q. discusses her essay during Round 3 of the 2024 Buena Vista Civics Bee live event. Andee received third place in the event. Photo by Carly Winchell
Simon was the first to go on. He covered the hot topic of affordable housing and answered questions from Smith. Simon suggested using government grants to help fund housing and said the local government could get involved by having a lower cap for short-term rentals.
Andee’s topic focused on reducing violence in schools. She suggested getting law enforcement more involved with the district and creating more clubs to keep students engaged in positive activities. LaFrance focused her questions on the local school district. Andee explained there were very few club options for Buena Vista Middle School students and said a more diverse array of options would likely attract more students to get involved.
Joseph’s essay focused on chronic absenteeism in school. He suggested a solution to the problem would be getting students more enthusiastic about education by teaching them about civics and how the government can be useful in accomplishing more goals and by providing more choices in education.
Joseph D. discusses his essay during Round 3 of the 2024 Buena Vista Civics Bee live event. Joseph received second place in the event. Photo by Carly Winchell
Mayor Fay asked about how more data could be gathered on this topic and whether or not the solutions could be implemented locally or on a state level.
Joseph cited Buena Vista School District Superintendent Lisa Yates, Colorado Commissioner of Education Susana Córdova, and the President of the Buena Vista Board of Education Jessica Crites as potential resources for more data.
He also said that solutions could be implemented solely at the local level but it would be beneficial to take a statewide approach as well.
Max’s topic was the four-day school week, which he said would benefit teachers by providing more planning time. He acknowledged a lack of options for kids on the fifth day as a potential negative, and suggested that options, such as the Boys and Girls Club could help fill in the gap.
When asked about addressing potential hardships by Commissioner Baker, Max suggested after-school programs such as sports could help keep kids occupied on the fifth day without parents needing to worry about changing schedules.
Lastly, Ryder covered the student debt crisis. He proposed zero interest loans with flexible payment options to help reduce the stress on those trying to pay back their debts. Harn asked about students with debt who are 18 or younger, and Ryder suggested loan debt relief programs to target younger borrowers. Potential negative impacts could be potentially increased taxes or the use of taxpayer money to address the problem.
Simon, who was the first-place winner of the local competition, received a $500 cash prize and all three finalists are invited to participate in the statewide competition. The top three winners of the state competition will receive cash prizes of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place.
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