On June 30, Logan Thielen, a 6th-grade student at Falcon Academy in Brea, took first place at the Regional competition for the National Civics Bee held at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda. Choosing “enhancing creative methods in education” as his issue, Logan and four of his fellow contestants were required to defend their individual proposals to address the issue of their choice before a panel of judges of educators and community leaders.
Co-sponsored by the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Nixon Foundation, and others, the Regional competition is part of the National Civics Bee established by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Open to students from grades 6 through 8, the competition requires students to submit an essay identifying a problem or issue in their community, a proposal to address the problem, and how their solution reflects the founding principles and virtues of our country. Twenty winners of the essay competition are invited to the regionals and participate in a round of civics questions. The top five advance to the Q&A round with the judges, the final winner moving up to the state competition.
Logan will participate in the California State Finals in late June at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. The winner from California will participate in the National Civics Bee to be held in Washington, D. C. in November, where the winner will receive a $100,000 scholarship prize. Last year, Garden Groves’ Arlo Fravien represented California and attended last week’s Regionals.
Registration for the 2027 competition will open on September 7, 2026. For information about how to participate, go to https://civics.uschamberfoundation.org/ncb-how-it-works/