HARRISBURG, Pa. — Middle school students from southcentral Pennsylvania competed in Harrisburg on May 3 to qualify for the first-ever National Civics Bee.
The competition, organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is billed as an opportunity to boost interest in U.S. civics, the study of the rights and duties of citizenship.
Seventeen students participated in the regional Civics Bee at the Harrisburg Area Community College.
The event comes as student scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for civics declined for the first time in 2022. According to the report, only 22% of eighth graders scored proficient or better.
“There are fewer and fewer students who understand our democracy or show an interest in it, and we and our friends at the U.S. Chamber believe that civics is a foundational experience and something that every student should learn in order to become contributing members of our society,” said Ryan Unger, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC.
The lack of civics knowledge extends to adults, too; just 51% of Americans were able to name all three branches of government, according to a University of Pennsylvania poll.
That statistic didn’t surprise seventh-grade Civics Bee participant Asher Baker of the Christian School of Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle.
“Some adults don’t take the time to learn what we do,” he said.
Other students saw the Civics Bee as more of a hobby.
“I mean it’s good to know, but you don’t really need to know it unless you want to get into a legal profession,” said seventh grader Anson Rominger, who also attends the Christian School of Grace Baptist Church.
The regional competition offered a $500 prize to the first-place winner, while the top five scorers will advance to the state competition on June 15.