Sara Akmel, who just completed eighth grade at Mill Creek Middle School in Kent, took second place in the National Civics Bee Washington State Championship.
Akmel received a $500 cash prize in the final round competition that featured 15 middle school students from across the state June 21 at the Olympia High School Performing Arts Center, according to an Association of Washington Business press release.
The National Civics Bee invites sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. The Washington state finalists were selected based on their essay submissions and the results of regional competitions hosted by four Washington chambers this spring.
The Kent Chamber of Commerce hosted a regional competition April 26 that advanced five students to the finals, including Akmel.
Maanha Nasir, of Snoqualmie, advanced from the Kent competition and won the state title. Nasir, who just completed eight grade at Washington Virtual Academies, will represent the state at the National Civics Bee Championship in November in Washington D.C., competing against other state Civics Bee champions. This is the second straight year that Washington Virtual Academies has had a first-place finisher.
Calista Christiansen, a homeschooled student from Lyle in Klickitat County, took third place and received $250. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three finishers.
The competition included two quiz rounds with questions on the U.S. Constitution, branches of government and court cases. After the second round, there was a tiebreaker between four students. The final five were given three minutes to pitch their ideas for how they can improve their communities through civics to the judges.
The other three qualifiers for state from the Kent Chamber competition were Kaylee Hong, Mill Creek Middle School; Marilyse Byrd, Northwood Middle School in Renton but part of the Kent School District; and Sifanie Negasa, of Seattle Christian School in SeaTac.
“We hope today (June 21) has given you faith in the future of our state, and the commitment of our next generation to be part of our shared civic life,” said Morgan Irwin, Association of Washington Business interim vice president of Government Affairs. “We’re seeing the future through their eyes.”
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