Rio Rancho students earn top two spots in National Civics Bee state finals

The New Mexico Chamber of Commerce hosted the the second annual National Civics Bee state finals June 1 at University of New Mexico's main campus in Albuquerque, and two Rio Rancho students were the stars of the show.

Seventh grader, Keith Lee, a Rio Rancho resident who attends Albuquerque Academy, took first place, followed by eighth grader Auburn Eichers from Rio Rancho Cyber Academy, who took second in finals, which was hosted by the NMCC in partnership with the U.S. Chamber Foundation.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller commenced the competition and judges included Rep. Alan Martinez; Ashley Wagner, vice president of government affairs at the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association; Dr. Ilia Rodríguez Nazario, Communication & Journalism Department chair at the University of New Mexico; and Dr. Jami Nelson-Nuñez, Political Science Department chair at the University of New Mexico.

Ten middle school finalists from local competitions across New Mexico advanced to take part in the state competition, including students from Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho. Students participated in a live quiz event and answered questions from judges to test their civics knowledge. Students also presented the essays they submitted prior to the competition about an issue in their community and how they believe they can best be solved. Lee wowed the judges with his essay on climate change.

“I worked hard for this. In the district competition, I was nervous because everyone was really good. I didn’t think I prepared enough [for the district round], so I took it upon myself to prepare more for the state round,” Lee said. “It just feels good; I tried something new, and it got me here.”

Lee also got a little revenge after finishing second to Eichers in the National Civics Bee’s regional competition hosted by the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce in April.

Lee advances to represent New Mexico in the National Civics Bee competition in Washington, D.C., this fall.

The top three winners also received various prizes, including $1,000 cash for the first-place winner, $500 for the second-place winner, and $250 for the third-place winner. All participants took home the Lenovo tablets used during the competition to support their academic pursuits.

“The National Civics Bee state finals gives middle school students from around New Mexico an opportunity to show off their civic knowledge and share ideas to improve their communities,” Rob Black, president and CEO of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce said. “This competition helps spark a passion for civic engagement in the next generation of New Mexicans, and NMCC was proud to partner with the Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber Foundation for the second year to support this meaningful initiative. We hope the students who participated today will continue to use their civic knowledge in their future educational and professional pursuits and will continue to be active, engaged members of their communities.”