Arnall Middle Student Places 1st in Coweta’s 2026 Civics Bee Competition
From Special Reports
Students from Arnall, Lee and Blake Bass Middle Schools were the winners of the Coweta County National Civics Bee competition, held March 31 at the Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts.
Arnall Middle 8th grader Ella Hummel was this year’s 1st Place Bee winner, followed by Carys Kuhr (Lee Middle School) and Rilynne Hand (Blake Bass Middle). The Bee was sponsored by the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce. Winners will go on to compete in the Georgia Civics Bee, held in June at the Carter Center in Atlanta this June.
This year’s Bee was sponsored by the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce. The 19 competitors for the county bee were the top students drawn from participating local student essayists from each of Coweta County School System’s 7 middle schools and the Heritage School. Michael Nix, Kristin Webb, Mark Whitlock, Gerald Kemp, and Joni Scarbrough served locally as judges.
To participate, students across the country submitted essays on issues in their communities, which were then reviewed by a panel of outside judges. Students from Coweta County submitted 141 essays, and the State of Georgia ranked number two in the entire nation for most submissions.
Top students were selected to compete in The Newnan Coweta Chamber’s Regional Competition: an in-person, live event featuring two rounds of civics quiz questions followed by a Q&A in which students discussed their proposals for improving their communities. The top three finalists at the March 31st event impressed the judges with their presentations of their essay topics “Food Insecurity”, “Protection of Private Property”, and “Bullying Prevention”.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to represent Arnall Middle School in the regional National Civics Bee, and I am honored to represent our region at the Georgia Chamber in June,” said 1st Place Winner Ella Hummel. “This event has taught me so much already, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.” 
This year’s student competitors included:
Ella Hummel, Arnall Middle School (1st Place)
Jueon Ahn, Arnall Middle School
Reagan Campbell, Arnall Middle School
Sadie Searcy, Arnall Middle School
Rilynne Hand, Blake Bass Middle School (3rd Place)
Jameson Rushing, Blake Bass Middle School (runner-up)
Caleb Mason, Blake Bass Middle School
Kylie Thompson, East Coweta Middle School
Jackson Robinson, Evans Middle School (runner-up)
Kate Hadden, Evans Middle School
Sister Brady, Evans Middle School
Allie Ross, the Heritage School
Beatrix Saaski, the Heritage School
Carys Kuhr, Lee Middle School (2nd Place)
Caroline Lowe, Lee Middle School
Elijah McCaskill, Lee Middle School
Layla Pharris, Madras Middle School
Savannah Ryan, Madras Middle School
Tyleigh Willingham, Smokey Road Middle School
This was the second year of the locally-organized Civics Bee. The initiative—sponsored by the Newnan-Coweta Chamber locally, and nationally the U.S. Chamber and The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation—is aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities, to become better informed about American democracy, engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and building greater trust in others and institutions.
Locally, this year’s bee was supported by Newnan Utilities, Coweta County Water and Sewerage, Wishbone, South State, KRB Communications, PetLovers United, and Yamaha Motor Manufacturing. The Coweta County School System, The Nixon Centre for the Arts, Chick Fil A Coweta Crossroads and Truett’s Chick Fil A Newnan partnered to host the event.
Local finalists and top winners received various prizes, including awards worth $500 for the first-place student. Coweta’s first-place winner will also advance to this summer’s state competition hosted by Georgia Chamber along with other top finalists. Top state winners will receive various prizes, up to $1,000, and the state’s first-place winner will earn a trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Championship in the fall, 2026, where they can win a grand prize of a $100,000 contribution to a 529 plan. The second-place finalist will receive $25,000, and the third-place National finalist will receive $15,000.
Nationally, the U.S. Chamber received 10,000 student essays submitted from across the nation. 1,600 judges, including local essay readers, were assigned various regions from around the country and dedicated their time to reading and rating the submitted essays.
Eighth-grade students from public, private, charter and home schools were invited to take part in the first-round local civics essay competition. After a panel of judges reviews the essays, the top 20 students were advanced to the local competition, an in-person live event featuring two rounds of civics questions followed by a Q&A round to test their civics knowledge.
“We are empowering the next generation of leaders with the knowledge and confidence to engage in their communities. Sponsoring this initiative aligns with our Chamber’s commitment to foster civic engagement, critical thinking, and leadership development among students. By investing in this program, we are helping build a stronger, more informed future for Coweta County and beyond. I couldn’t be prouder to stand up here with you,” said Jonathan Watkins, 2026 Chamber Board Chairman and President of the City of Hope.
“I am excited for our school system to co-host this National Civics Bee competition each year here in Coweta County,” said Phil Sykes, Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for the Coweta County School System. “We have had great participation this year, and the whole event highlights our students and the great work of a lot of teachers who are making sure our students are prepared for future roles in their community and to be good citizens of our community.”
The National Civics Bee, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Civic Trust, is an annual nonpartisan competition aimed at improving civics education and literacy among middle school students, their families and communities. The competition helps elevate civics as a national priority through a network of state and local chambers across the country.
For more information about the National Civics Bee in Georgia, visit nationalcivicsbee.org or https://www.
