This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County partnered with the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host The National Civics Bee local competition on Tuesday, April 15, at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in State College. The competition was open to middle school students in grades six through eight and was open to parents and the public.
The competition is designed to encourage students from Centre County to engage in civic issues and contribute to their local communities.
The competition consisted of three rounds with the first two rounds focusing on general knowledge on civic-focused events in history such as aspects behind John F. Kennedy’s famous inaugural speech, George Washington’s views on national debt, civil rights and the United States Constitution.
The judging panel consisted of Ferguson Township Manager Centrice Martin, State College Borough Manager Thomas Fountaine, College Township Economic Development Coordinator Keri Miller, Dean of the College of Education at Penn State Kimberly Lawless and state Rep. Paul Takac. The emcees at the event were David Price and Carolyn Donaldson.
“Civics are more important than ever,” Takac stated during the event. “Civics is the foundation of a civil society.”
Takac and the rest of the judging panel made sure to emphasize the importance of civics education to the participating students while also thanking each participant for their hard work and research that went into finding a resolution for the issues facing each of their communities.
After the first two rounds of multiple-choice questions presented to the participants, the top five competitors from the first two rounds went on to discuss their previously submitted essays in the third round and present ideas to improve various problems that their communities may face.
Some issues that the students focused on were stopping illicit drug use within their community, lack of proper health care in rural areas and affordable housing. Each participant stood before the judges answering questions concerning their essay along with possible solutions.
While many interesting and innovative solutions and ideas were presented, it was Cooper Palma’s idea of dealing with light pollution that won this year’s competition. Cooper, an eighth grader out of Mount Nittany Middle School, pointed out the importance of bringing attention to this issue.
“I think what people need to do is just look up the DarkSky International Five Principles. Have lights only if needed, only when needed, point where needed, only as bright as needed and use warmer colors when possible. If people just follow those, it will go a long way in helping the issue,” he explained
Palma pointed out how constant light pollution can affect an individual’s overall health and well-being. His focus was on education for the community regarding light pollution while also keeping costs at a minimum to bring attention to the issue.
“I think people should learn about the adverse effects of light pollution on health, the economy and the environment. I think it’s very important educating the public on this issue.”
Some studies have linked light pollution to health issues such as obesity, diabetes and even certain cancers while exposure to artificial light, particularly blue light, can suppress the production of melatonin and affect an individual’s Circadian Rhythm, which is your body’s internal clock that regulates your sleeping and waking cycles.
The top three finalists from the event received monetary awards with the first prize being a $500 check awarded to Cooper, while second place took home $250 and third place won $125. The top three finalists will be invited to the statewide competition being held Monday, June 16, at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub and will again be hosted by the CBICC.
