WILLIAMSBURG– The Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to bring the National Civics Bee to Virginia on April 23.
The 2024 National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities, with 6th, 7th and 8th grade students participating.
“We were honored to organize the National Civics Bee in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The competition will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. How great to have the inaugural local bee in Virginia to be held in James City County,” Lauren Moore, VP of Communications and Programming for the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce, said.
The first round of the competition was an essay contest. A cross-section of community leaders reviewed each of the 500-word essay submissions and were guided by a National Civics Bee grading rubric. The top 20 students were selected to move on to the final round of competition and 16 of those participated at a live quiz event at Jamestown Settlement on April 23.
During the quiz event on April 23, students participated in two rounds of questions. Each student had a tablet to answer multiple-choice questions relating to elections, the Constitution, and government. After the two rounds were complete, the top 10 finishers presented their essay and answered questions posed by community leaders who served as judges.
Prizes and trophies were given to the top three finishers. Additionally, the students got to keep their tablets from the quiz event as a gift from Cox Communications.
The top 10 winners advanced to the state competition, which will be held in Colonial Williamsburg in June. The national competition will take place in November in Washington D.C.
According to the chamber, 26 states participated in this year’s bee. This year also marks Virginia’s first time competing.
