I was honored Friday to serve as a judge for the State Civics Bee.
The knowledge and poise the middle-school students displayed were remarkable.
They were challenged to identify an issue in their community, craft a realistic project to address it and referenced applicable civics principles and virtues.
If you think civics class is still the once-a-week chat about the Constitution, you might be surprised.
Wyoming students are expected to master far more and to prove it before they graduate.
The lessons start in kindergarten and build every year, moving from playground rules to defending constitutional principles in public debate.
The Road Map for Civics Learning
Civics content in Wyoming is part of the Citizenship, Government, and Democracy strand of the state’s Social Studies Content Standards.
Those standards lay out what every student should learn and when, creating a steady progression from basic concepts to complex analysis.
Early elementary (K–2) students begin with the basics: understanding rules, fairness, and respect for others; identifying community helpers; and recognizing Wyoming and U.S. symbols.
By upper elementary (3–5), students are learning the rights the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions protect(speech, religion, assembly, and due process) along with responsibilities like obeying laws, voting as a concept, serving on juries in theory, volunteering, and participating in community life.
They start to understand their role in local, state, national, and tribal contexts.
In middle school (6–8), the focus deepens. Students explain rights and responsibilities in detail, analyze how citizens shape government and society, and compare participation across different levels of government.
By High School (9–12), students are expected to apply their knowledge.
They engage in activities that mirror real civic participation: voting in mock elections, advocating for causes, or serving in school leadership.
They learn to connect their rights to responsibilities like ethical behavior, informed engagement, and defending democratic principles.
How We Compare to the Rest of the Country
On the national stage, Wyoming does well.
We have a clear, grade-by-grade progression and a strong grounding in constitutional principles. The standards weave in local and tribal perspectives, and our graduation requirement ensures that civic knowledge isn’t optional.
Where we lag is in areas like media literacy and digital citizenship; skills that matter in an era of online misinformation.
There’s also less emphasis on current policy debates, global democracy, and hands-on experience with things like attending a public meeting or testifying before a local board. These are opportunities we could add without overhauling what’s already strong.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Some of the richest civics lessons happen when students step outside the classroom. Wyoming offers several programs that give them that chance.
We The People is a statewide program that simulates congressional hearings.
High school teams research constitutional questions, prepare testimony, and answer probing questions from panels of judges. Wyoming teams compete at national finals in Washington, D.C., where they sharpen both their knowledge and their public speaking.
Boys State and Girls State, sponsored by the American Legion and Auxiliary, offer a week-long deep dive into state government.
Students form political parties, run for office, write and pass legislation, and even meet in the actual chambers of the State Capitol.
That State Civics Bee, for which I served as a judge, invites middle schoolers to compete in a blend of written essays, quizzes and live presentation with Q&A.
The competition goes beyond memorizing facts and asking students to propose solutions to community problems and defend their ideas. The first-place finalist advances to the National Championship.
Why This Matters
Taken together, the curriculum and these extra opportunities give Wyoming students a head start as informed voters, community leaders, and thoughtful participants in public life.
They graduate with a working knowledge of government and with real experience using it.
This matters for more than trivia night bragging rights.
It matters because civic engagement is a muscle. If you don’t use it, it weakens. Our students are building that muscle now.
Meeting the Standard Ourselves
If our students can explain the difference between local, state, and tribal government, connect the Bill of Rights to real-world responsibilities, and defend a position in public debate (all before they can legally vote) what’s our excuse?
We can’t expect the next generation to carry the full weight of our democracy. Civic participation isn’t a youth sport. It’s a lifelong responsibility.
The standard Wyoming sets for its youth is high. It’s time the rest of us matched it; not only in knowledge, but in the courage to show up, speak up, and take part.
Oh, and these students know that our Republic is a representative democracy.
Gail Symons can be reached at: GailSymons@Mac.com
