Middle school students showcased their civics knowledge on April 30, when the regional round of the National Civics Bee® returned to the Nixon Library. Serving as emcee for the evening, Gaddi Vasquez, Former Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies and Director of the Peace Corps, opened with the reminder that “Civic engagement is more important today than ever before in a rapidly changing world.”
The National Civics Bee is a staple program of the Nixon Civics Academy, an educational initiative of the Richard Nixon Foundation rooted in President Nixon’s belief that the future depends on what we teach our young people. Last year, the Foundation partnered with the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce to bring the inaugural National Civics Bee competition to California. This year, the program has expanded to all fifty states.
Middle schoolers throughout Southern California were invited to enter the competition by submitting a proposal for an idea to improve their communities. The top twenty proposals were selected to compete in the live event, judged by a panel of local civic leaders.
In the first round, contestants participated in an interactive multiple-choice quiz covering the presidency, the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents, legal statutes, and American history. The top five scorers advanced to round two, where they presented their community proposals to the judges and fielded questions about executing their plans, ranging from funding and potential partnerships to other challenges and opportunities.
During the program, Arlo Fravien, the first state winner from California, shared his experience and offered advice to the current participants. The first-place winner of the 2026 regional competition was Logan Thielen, a 6th grader from Brea. He will go on to compete at the state finals at the Reagan Presidential Library on June 27. The winner of the state finals will receive a trip to the National Championship in Washington, DC.
