An eighth-grader from William Thomas Middle School in American Falls was the last of 20 middle schoolers standing in the statewide National Civics Bee competition Friday at Melaleuca Global Headquarters in Idaho Falls.
Lainey Moore was one of five finalists who advanced through two rounds in which all contestants had to answer 10 multiple-choice questions each round. Point totals from those rounds determined who made the third and last round.
Moore and her fellow finalists each delivered three-minute summaries of an essay they wrote about a problem or concern in their community and offered a solution.
Moore’s essay addressed parent/guardian awareness of young children’s mental health.
“I was really nervous,” Moore said after being announced the first-place winner. “I’m just happy, because it was over.”
Moore won $1,000 in cash, a $5,000 donation to her school and an all-expenses-paid trip this November to Washington, D.C., to compete for a $100,000 education savings plan.
She’ll represent Idaho in the National Civics Bee hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Students advance through local and state competitions by writing essays and answering civics questions.
The first-place winner from each state’s competition advances to the national championship.
“I’m happy that I’m able to represent Idaho,” Moore said. “I worked pretty hard on the essay, and I was pretty nervous.”
Moore is unsure about what she’ll do in D.C.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to make it. So we’ll see.”
McKenna Vaughan, a seventh-grader at American Heritage Charter School in Idaho Falls, won $500 as the second-place winner.
Ali Donahoo, also a seventh-grader at American Heritage Charter School, won third place.
Teagan Eilenfield, a seventh-grader at Idaho Novus Classical Academy in Boise, finished fourth.
Esmae Hazelton, also a seventh-grader at Idaho Novus Classical Academy, placed fifth.
A panel of five judges chose the order of finish based on the submitted essays and how the finalists summarized them. Each finalist was asked one question by the judges after speaking.
Serving as judges were John Radford, Idaho Falls city councilor, Nolan Wheeler, Ammon city councilor, Jamie Braithwaite, Idaho PTA president, Elsje Johnson, Blue Cross of Idaho business development executive, and Sidney Decker, regional director for U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho. Decker replaced Dr. Lori Barber, College of Eastern Idaho president, who had to leave midway through the judging.
The first Idaho statewide competition of the National Civics Bee ever held was hosted by the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and Melaleuca as part of America 250.
All Idaho middle school students in grades sixth through eighth in public education, private school or homeschooling were eligible to participate. The competition encouraged students to study the mechanisms of government and learn how they can get involved in their hometowns.