Langston holds third annual Citizenship Bee
Langston Leadership Academy fourth-grade students learned what it took to pass the U.S. citizenship test Thursday afternoon by competing in the third annual Citizenship Bee in celebration of Celebrate Freedom Week.
In the spelling bee-style competition held in the school’s gym, 54 students were quizzed over civics questions about U.S. history and government by Langston Leadership Academy Principal Eileen Ellars. If a student answered a question incorrectly, they were eliminated from the competition.
The questions were taken directly from the U.S. citizenship test. Just like the citizenship test, the bee questions were not multiple choice. Students were required to answer open-ended questions verbally.
During the naturalization interview for the citizenship application process, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer asks prospective citizens up to
10 questions from a list of 100 possible questions in English. Applicants must answer at least six of the 10 questions correctly in order to pass the civics test, according to the USCIS website.
Students and teachers were presented with that list of 100 questions three weeks ago in order to prepare for the competition.
Questions ranged from “Who is the father of our nation?” and “Why do we have 13 stripes and
50 stars on the flag?” to “Can
you name a U.S. territory?”
While the competition does teach civics lessons, Ellars said it also presented students with an opportunity to improve their study skills by learning how to breakdown a large amount of information into smaller, more manageable sections.
According to ADE Act 478 of
2017, “All students seeking a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma need to pass the Arkansas Civics Exam with a score of 60% or better.” The requirement began with the
2018-2019 school year.
The inspiration for Langston’s annual Citizenship Bee came about when Langston ESOL facilitator Betty Telles was teaching English to another staff member who was working through the citizenship process, Ellars said.
First place went to Reginea Floyd, second place to Azar Bryant and third place to Arella Canales. All three students belong to Kim Cox’s class. Each of the winners received trophies and will be provided with a lunch from McDonald’s, Ellars said.
Third-graders will also hold smaller versions of the competitions in each of their classrooms, she said.
“This week is Freedom Week. It’s recognized statewide. As far as understanding the constitution and their liberties and their freedoms, we felt that fourth grade was a great year to understand how and why laws are made and how our country works. It’s part of helping them understand why they’re able to go to a public school and live in a country like we do,” Ellars said.
Freedom Week “was created to educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom and the values on which this country was founded. During Celebrate Freedom Week, all social studies classes shall include instruction to help students focus on the freedoms offered in the United States of America,” according to the Arkansas Department of Education’s website.