Forget spelling: This Johnson County bee was about ‘civility in our political process’

Knowing how many justices serve on the Supreme Court might mean big bucks for a civics-savvy student on May 9.

Three Johnson County middle-schoolers are among 12 students vying for cash prizes and the title of Kansas Civics Bee champion in Wichita.

“Civics is very important to democracy,” said Pranjal Adhikari, an eighth-grader at Lakewood Middle School. ”Citizenship means keeping yourself informed and society functioning.”

Pranjal is competing along with Rishaan Panchal, a sixth-grader at Lakewood, and Caleb Bonnema, a seventh-grader at Blue Valley Middle School.

Rishaan placed first, Pranjal second and Caleb third in the Johnson County Civics Bee at the end of April. The state winner advances to the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C., in the fall.

This was the first year for the civics bee in Kansas and the contest was open to all middle-school students. The Johnson County bee was sponsored by the Overland Park Chamber Foundation.

The students were selected based on 500-word essays they wrote identifying a problem in their community and suggesting solutions.

For example, “Equitable access to health care — everyone deserves this,” Rishaan said about his topic. Rural areas are especially hard hit, he explained, and would benefit from free clinics staffed by volunteer medical students.

Topics students chose included affordable housing, juvenile vaping, mental health awareness and antisemitism.

How well-informed the students were about government and American history was tested in a live competition at Johnson County Community College. Contestants were asked questions such as, “Who becomes president if the both the president and the vice president can no longer serve?”

In the first two rounds of the bee, eight students answered 20 questions on electronic tablets.

Students weren’t the only ones tested.

During the contest, members of the audience heard the question and saw the question and four multiple-choice answers on a projector screen on the stage. They were able to play along on their cell phones and like the students, spectators had only 30 seconds to choose the correct response.

The top five students advanced to the third round, discussed their essays and answered questions from judges.

Who would oppose access to healthcare? A judge asked Rishaan.

“Not really oppose it, but others things might seem more important, especially in urban areas,” Rishaan answered. “My target is the rural areas.”

As the first-place winner, Rishaan was awarded $500. At second place, Pranjal received $250 and Caleb, $125 for third place. First place at state is worth $1,000.

“Hosting the first National Civics Bee competition in our area was important to us,” said Kevin M. Walker, executive vice president of the Overland Park Chamber. “We have talked frequently about the need for civics education and more civility in our political process.”

The National Civics Bee emphasizes the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and encourages students to become involved in their communities. The Johnson County winners will compete with students who won bees in Hutchinson, Pittsburg and Wichita, for a total of 12 contestants.

The National Civics Bee was initiated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation as a way to help students become effective citizens, to increase support for democracy and to combat polarization.

“The more knowledgeable you become, the more tolerant you can be of other points of view,” said Hilary Crow, vice president of civics at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Involving parents in the audience to play along was deliberate.

“There has been a multi-generational decline in civics knowledge,” Crow said.

When STEM gained popularity, federal funds were channeled to science, technology, engineering and math and away from civics education. For $60 of federal funds to STEM, Crow said, 50 cents goes to civics.

The National Civics Bee concept was tested in five states in 2022. In 2023, nine states participated and in 2024, 28 states.

“Our goal is to be in all 50 states by 2026 in time for America’s 250th birthday,” Crow said.