Anchorage, AK —The Alaska Chamber hosted the Alaska state finals of the 2024 National Civics Bee on June 13th, organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Emily Brubaker from Romig Middle School was named the winner of Alaska’s Civics Bee competition and will advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C.

“The Alaska Chamber is proud to be the official partner for the National Civics Bee in Alaska, for the inaugural state competition. Promoting greater civic knowledge in Alaska will result in more informed and active citizens,” said Kati Capozzi, President and CEO of the Alaska Chamber.

“In recent years, Americans’ civics knowledge has fallen significantly. Today, 53% of adults cannot name all three branches of government. At the same time, 79% of 8th graders score below proficient in civics,” said Hilary Crow, vice president of civics at the U.S. Chamber Foundation. “Through the National Civics Bee, we aim to reverse this trend, and inspire a new generation of Americans to be civically engaged and active in shaping the future of our communities and our nation.”

10 finalists from across Alaska advanced to take part in the state-level competition. Students participated in a live quiz event and answered questions from judges to test their civic knowledge. Emily Brubaker from Romig Middle School took first place, followed by Finley Foster and Liam Cuddy for second and third places, respectively. The judges for this year’s competition were: Mike Heatwole, Pebble Limited Partnership, Sara Rasmussen, GCI, and Adam Trombley, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan’s Office.

Emily Brubaker impressed the judges with her civics knowledge and her presentation about how she has advocated to create legislative change on the federal level related to a genetic condition that she lives with. The condition is not covered by insurance for treatment, despite being genetic and having potential long-term and lasting health impacts.

The finalists and top winners received various prizes, including $1,000 cash for the first-place student.

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