A middle school student from Salina was among the top three finishers at the Kansas State Finals of the National Civics Bee.

Zane Hoff, a student at Salina’s Lakewood Middle School, placed third and received a $250 prize following his presentation on food insecurity.

Tanya Ramesh, a Robinson Middle School student from Wichita, won the event and earned a $1,000 prize after her presentation on health care access in rural Kansas. She will represent Kansas at the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C. this Fall.  Madeleine Stewart, a student at Prairie Star Middle School in Overland Park, placed second and received a $500 prize after her presentation on punitive driving laws that trap Kansans in poverty.

According to the Kansas Leadership Center, the three middle-school students were among the 15 participants from five competitions hosted by chambers in Hutchinson, Overland Park, Pittsburg, Salina and Wichita. This was the second year the Kansas State Finals of the National Civics Bee took place at the Kansas Leadership Center as part of a partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Students participated in two rounds of multiple-choice questions ranging in difficulty from 6th to 12th-grade level civics questions. For the third round, five finalists delivered a three-minute presentation on an essay they submitted to demonstrate their enthusiasm for civics by sharing an idea for improving their community. Students responded in real time to questions about their essay from a panel of judges.

The half-day event included special programming sponsored by Fidelity Bank and EY that explored and celebrated civic engagement and youth leadership. Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA, delivered the keynote address, Desmond E. Bryant-White read poetry, and KLC staff hosted breakout sessions on student civic leadership, civic education for educators and parents/guardians, and corporate social responsibility. Community-based organizations were also in attendance sharing ways to get involved in the neighborhood, community and civic life.

Governor Laura Kelly recently proclaimed June 5, 2025, as Youth Civics Day, honoring the importance of civic education and youth engagement across the state.

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Photos via Kansas Leadership Center