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The Georgia Chamber of Commerce Foundation, in partnership with The Civic Trust-an initiative of the Chamber of Commerce Foundation to promote civics in schools, workplaces, and communities-will host the National Civics Bee Georgia State Finals for the first time on Friday, June 27 at 9:00 a.m. at The Carter Center in Atlanta.
Chris Clark, President and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, expressed his enthusiasm to have the Chamber hosting the event.
“The most critical thing that we ought to be doing is finding ways to get kids excited about the real world earlier and earlier,” said Clark.
He emphasized that civics is often introduced too late in student’s education and believes earlier exposure will better prepare Georgia’s students for their bright futures.
Among the finalists are three students from Fayette County, representing Bennett’s Mill Middle School and Whitewater Middle School. These students competed in the Fayette County Civics Bee, hosted by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce for the second year. The local competition welcomed middle schoolers from public, private, online, and home schools.
Participants began the process by writing an essay on a community issue warranting a policy solution. Selected students then competed in a quiz-style bee, with the five top-scoring students of the quiz presenting the essays they wrote previously to a panel of judges. The top three students earned a place at the state finals.
Winners of the Georgia State Finals will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C., where they will represent Georgia in the National Civics Bee.
Fayette Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Leonardo McClarty lead the initiative to have a local bee in Fayette County, inspired by the community’s strong academic environment and high test scores. McClarty sees high value to events like the civics bee in being able to develop a new area of thinking in government policies and development from a nonpartisan perspective.
“It’s helping them be able to make informed decisions, as opposed to just taking whatever is presented to them on TikTok or Instagram,” said McClarty. “They’re actually truly able to understand how our government works, as opposed to a political viewpoint.
McClarty views the bee as a newfound outlet that introduces students to the government processes from a nonpartisan perspective in an area of study that is often untaught until later in students’ schooling.
This initiative has received strong engagement both locally and across Georgia. Organizers at the state and local level hope the Civics Bee will continue to grow, reaching more students each year with a message of civic responsibility and community leadership.
“Our hope is that these young Georgians will continue embracing servant-hearted leadership throughout their lives as they strive to keep Georgia the best state to live, work, and play,” said Clark.
The Fayette Chamber plans to continue hosting its local bee and aims to increase participation across a wider range of schools and age groups. Information on how to apply for the 2026 Fayette County Civics Bee will be available on the Fayette Chamber’s website in January.
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