OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Three middle school students from across Florida are advancing to the state round of the National Civics Bee after placing in a regional competition hosted in Central Florida last week.
The regional event, organized by The Osceola Chamber in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, brought together 20 students who qualified through an essay competition and advanced to live rounds of civics questions and judging.
The competition was held Friday at Rosen Centre Hotel.
Georgia Whittemore, a student at Julia Landon College Preparatory School, took first place. Avi Jutla of Abraham Lincoln Middle School finished second, and Ara Afolabi of Voyager K-8 School placed third.
The students will now move on to the Florida state finals June 30 at Florida State University, where the winner will earn a trip to Washington for the national championship later this year.
The local event included two rounds of multiple-choice civics questions followed by a final question-and-answer round judged by local civic and education leaders.
The first-place winner received $500, second place received $250, and third place received $100. All participants also received tablets used during the competition and event materials.
National championship prizes include up to $100,000 for first place.
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