On April 17, the University of Oregon hosted one of two regional portions of the 2025 Oregon Civics Bee, a statewide civics competition for middle school students sponsored by Oregon Business & Industry.

The Oregon Civics Bee is part of the National Civics Bee and encourages middle-school students to engage in their communities and propose solutions to local challenges.

The regional finalists engaged in two rounds of 10 multiple-choice questions before the top five finishers presented briefly on their proposal to solve an issue in their community and fielded questions from the panel of three judges. The judges included Chandler James, an assistant professor in UO’s Political Science Department whose research focuses on the American presidency, public opinion, and political behavior.

Five students are advancing from the Regional Bee to the state-wide Oregon Civics Bee that will be held in Salem later this spring. They hail from Corvallis, Baker City, Harrisburg, and Eugene.