SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – After impressing judges with her ideas on addressing homelessness in South Dakota and answering questions with speed and accuracy, a rising ninth grader advanced to the National Civics Bee in Washington by winning the state civics bee.
"I think lots of people just assume that they're not gonna be able to make a difference just by helping out, so I think that if we assure people that doing little things will make a difference, that can encourage them to help and work harder," 14-year-old Chloe Dabney from Brandon Middle School told the panel of judges Thursday.
Organized by the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce for a second year, the National Civics Bee aims to engage middle schoolers in civics in a fun way.
"Given sort of the state of the world, I think that this is kind of a nice reprieve," said Ryan Budmayr, president and CEO of South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry. "My dad was my fifth grade history teacher (and) my civics teacher in Belle Fourche High School was a mentor and kind of helped shape my life. ... So it's really fun be on the other side of it and be promoting it across the state."
Students submitted essays regarding community-solutions ahead of time and then competed regionally against other students. Dabney was one of 11 middle school students to advance from regionals to the South Dakota state finals.
During the competition, finalists had to answer trivia-based questions about civics, ranging from questions about Congress to court cases. After two rounds of questions, five students were selected to present their community-solutions in front of a panel of judges.
The three finalists were determined by the panel based upon their presentation and combined score from the quizzes.
In addition to Dabney winning first place, Elliott Fickbaum, 14, a rising ninth grader from Harrisburg North Middle School took second place, and Jay KC, 14, a rising ninth grader from George S. Mickelson Middle School took third place.
For KC, this competition has been a great way to meet people and get his ideas across. His idea was to improve access to resources for children with special needs in his hometown of Brookings, inspired by his family's experiences with his brother on the spectrum.
"This is not just a personal issue, this is a civic issue that deals with equality," KC said. "I feel that people who are disabled should be able share all resources and not have to go to a different town just to experience the same things."
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Ruth Abeta, 12, who placed first at Dakota Valley School and wrote her essay about air pollution, said this process has been challenging, yet rewarding.
"It's been fun and stressful at the same time to study, but overall, it's been good for the wellness of all of us," Abeta said.
Learning about civics does not just help kids learn more about the government but gain a better understanding of American democracy as a whole.
“If they’re really going to be free people, they have to understand not only the rules of the game, the Constitution and the laws, but they need to be able to think through the facts and the evidence,” said Ben Jones, state historian and director of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Elena Tittel's internship was funded with support from the Nonprofit Newsroom Internship Program created by The Scripps Howard Fund and the Institute for Nonprofit News. Contact: elena.tittel@sdnewswatch.org.
