Thermopolis among first to hold National Civics Bee competition

Students in sixth through eighth grade, throughout Wyoming, who can show their enthusiasm for, and knowledge of civics will have a chance to win recognition and prizes in a new Thermopolis Civics Bee, sponsored by Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.

The first National Civics Bee competitions will take place in early 2022 in Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming. Supporting partners include the Mason City Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation, the Maryland Chamber Foundation, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, and the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, respectively. In addition to funding from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the National Civics Bee is made possible with the generous support of the Daniels Fund. 

Each Civics Bee will recruit middle school students to participate in a first-round essay competition on civics. From those participants, locally chosen judges will then choose 10 to go to the final round: a live quiz event testing their civics knowledge. The local event will be held at Thermopolis Middle School on March 12, 2022, at 1 p.m.

“The Civics Bee is a fun competition for students, but it is also exciting for all of us in Thermopolis,” said Meri Ann Rush, Chief Executive Officer of the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce which is organizing the event. “It’s a real-life example of how people and institutions from all over the community can enrich civic life. We hope the Civics Bee inspires all of us to think about what we can do for our communities and step up to be more active in shaping the future of our neighborhoods and our nation.”

Modeled on annual spelling bees across the U.S., the National Civics Bee is designed to help young Americans be better informed about public issues, to engage constructively in shaping the vibrancy of public life in their communities, their states, and their nation, and to build trust in others and public institutions.