What happens when you ask middle schoolers to identify a problem in their own community and come up with a solution? That’s exactly what the National Civics Bee set out to do, and Bossier Parish had the opportunity to host the 2026 Bee at Bossier Parish Community College.

The National Civics Bee is a nationwide program designed to encourage middle school students to become informed and engaged members of their communities. The Bossier Chamber of Commerce hosted Bossier Parish’s competition for the first time this year, bringing students together to put their civic knowledge and their passions to the test.

“It is a very good educational source for those children to understand what took place in history,” said Jana Morgan, Director of Programs and Fundraising and Chief Operating Officer of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce.

Morgan said the program, which is sent down through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, allows students to learn about civics in a way that goes beyond simply studying for a test.

“It’s so cool to be a part of a program that is giving back to our kids to give them an opportunity to learn more about what’s going on in our world instead of just taking it on a test,” Morgan said.

For the Bossier Chamber, bringing the competition to local students was a continuation of its ongoing relationship with Bossier Parish Schools.

“Our connection and partnership with the Bossier Parish School Board is just phenomenal,” Morgan said. “We wanted to bring the opportunity to the students of Bossier Parish.”

The competition was open to students throughout the region, including those attending public, private and homeschool programs.

Students first submitted essays based on topics provided by a Chamber committee. Eight topics were offered, and students who advanced in the competition were then asked questions about their essays.

Heather Middlebrooks, Curriculum Coordinator for grades 6-12 Social Studies with Bossier Parish Schools, said the competition fits well with the work already being done in Bossier classrooms.

“Louisiana has a strong emphasis now on Civic education, and it is now, after this year, going to be our only state LEAP-tested high school course: Civics,” Middlebrooks said. “So, we’ve worked really hard to integrate that Civic Education at the high school level.”

While students take a civics course in high school, Middlebrooks said the foundation for that learning begins much earlier.

Bossier Parish students study history in three parts throughout their time in middle school: American, Louisiana and United States. Their studies within these courses span from colonization and early exploration through the modern era, including the development of the U.S. government, the Federalist Papers, constitutional foundations and significant Supreme Court cases.

“The Civics Bee is designed to promote that sort of learning,” Middlebrooks explained. “It is ultimately a quiz-style competition for the first two rounds where students have to know a variety of civic information, but they pull in a lot of court cases and a lot of factual information, interpretations of the Federalist Papers and things that we’re able to emphasize in our curriculum, even down in middle school to prepare them for their civics course in high school.”

But the competition wasn’t simply about recalling the facts.

Students were asked to identify a civic issue or opportunity for growth in their community and explain how they would address it. This gave them the chance to turn their classroom knowledge into ideas for their own communities.

That opportunity resulted in a strong showing from Bossier Parish students, with two local students advancing and ultimately placing in the state competition.

Kamilyah Woodrow, who placed third, focused her presentation on student apathy and proposed utilizing high school and college students to help engage younger students. Middlebrooks said Woodrow, having just completed sixth grade, was well-spoken and researched her topic well. She was able to recite statistics from the National Center for Education while using only one small note card.

Bossier Parish student Om Ganapathy placed second with his passion focusing on creating connections between generations. His proposal centered on encouraging younger people to visit nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to create those cross-generational connections.

“It was two very astute observations that really showed that our students are in tune with their community,” Middlebrooks said. “They have their passion projects, and I think it bodes well for the youth and their ability to be active and create things that they care about, which is really what civics is all about.”

For Middlebrooks, one of the most important parts of the competition was simply seeing students willing to take the first step and get their ideas out into the world.

“The heart of it is being willing to step out and take a chance and write that first essay and enter the competition,” she said.

The Bossier Chamber was also proud to see local students represented on the larger stage.

“It was heartwarming to know that both students that placed were from the public sector, to have that representation from Bossier Parish statewide to be represented was pretty rewarding for all of us,” Morgan said.