Mason City Hosts Inaugural National Civics Bee®

The Mason City Chamber of Commerce hosted the inaugural National Civics Bee® event on April 12, 2022. Mason City, Iowa is one of six communities across the nation where the competition will be piloted to encourage more young Americans to engage in civics.

Kaitlyn, Leah, and Sophia are the bright middle schoolers who won the first, second, and third place prizes, respectively.

“A lot of people don’t recognize it for what it is,” said Kaitlyn. “It helps you beyond academics because it’s part of our world today, it’s part of our government that runs us and how we run the government as well, being a Democratic government. It helps us to realize who we are and what we can do if we try.”

In order to compete in the live competition, students submitted 500-word essays. Judges reviewed and selected the top ten finalists.

Kaitlyn wrote about improving bike safety with armadillo lane dividers, which is a simple and affordable solution that would be a great benefit to Mason City. As the winner, she received a $1,000 cash prize and trophy.

Check out local media coverage of the event from KIMT3, KGLO News, and Globe Gazette. Learn more about our partner and the host Mason City Chamber of Commerce here.