The Western Kentucky regional competition of the National Civics Bee® was held April 25 at The Carson Center in Paducah. The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce was selected as the host for the regional competition by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.  The Presidential Sponsors for the event were Data Records Management Services and The Carson Center.

 After three rounds of competition, these students from local middle schools were the top winners:

1^ST PLACE: Sharon Shi, Lone Oak Middle School

2^ND PLACE: Konnor Knott, Lyon County Middle School

3^RD PLACE: Naomi Dean, Calloway County Middle School

These three students will advance and compete against other middle school students from across the state at the Kentucky Chamber National Civics Bee® later this summer. Prizes awarded included: $500 for first place, $250 for second place, and $125 for third place. All finalists received tablets, courtesy of Liberty Sponsor, Comcast.

The Western Kentucky regional competition featured student finalists representing seven middle schools in the region. Each finalist was judged not only on their essay but also on their performance in multiple-choice civics quiz rounds and a final round of interview-style questions based on their essays. The five students with the highest scores after the first two rounds advanced to the third round, where they answered questions from a panel of judges. The cumulative scores from all three rounds determined the top three winners.

The National Civics Bee® is an initiative by The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities.