Nearly 90 Kittitas-area middle school students participated in a regional civics competition hosted by the local chamber of commerce and affiliated with the National Civics Bee. League helped with various aspects of the event.  At one point in the event, audience members were invited to participate, too. 

Kittitas and Spokane Leagues have been busy in recent months guiding young people to learn more about civics by way of competition.  

In Kittitas County, Charli Sorenson reported the local League accepted an invitation from the county’s chamber of commerce for the first time to help with a nonpartisan competition for middle-schoolers affiliated withthe National Civics Bee.

Meanwhile, the Spokane-area League participated this spring in the KSPS public media-sponsored Civics Bowl, featuring high school students answering questions about American, Washington state and tribal history and government in a Jeopardy-like format. This is the Spokane-area League’s fourth year to be involved. 

Eight Spokane-area high schools competed, said Beth Pellicciotti, Civic Education Committee chair.  

Pellicciotti said the Spokane League’s sponsorship is vital to the broadcast as more than a dozen League members wrote hundreds of questions based on Spokane Public School history texts, which include the LWVWA’s The State We’re In: Washington text. 

Competition in Spokane continues with the semi-finals wrapping up next week and the final round set for June 1.   

Pellicciotti noted that prior to the first competition recording this year, Spokane League and community members participated in a dress rehearsal. “Even if they didn’t get all the correct answers, they still had fun!” 

In Central Washington, meanwhile, Sorenson said Kittitas was one of only a handful of chambers in the state to participate in the national chamber-sponsored contest. “We helped publicize the event, contacted local schools to urge student/teacher participation, contributed volunteers, and added to the prize pots,” said Sorenson, the local League’s vice president. 

“This event knocked our socks off - it was well organized, the kids were awesome, and we received many 'thank you!’s” and 'see you next year!,” Sorenson said. “We encourage other Leagues to explore co-sponsorship of this civics event in upcoming years.”  

In Kittitas, nearly 90 students submitted essays based on a uniform prompt that asked them to propose an idea for improving their community.  From that, 20 students we selected for the in-person contest.  The first-place finisher won $650, with $350 and $175 going to the second- and third-place finishers. 

Winners will go on to compete at the state level early this summer.  

The competition boosted student understanding of civics and its importance to democracy as well as expanded public awareness of the League’s work, Sorenson said. “It underlines our support of civics and democracy. It keeps us in the public eye.”