Hot Springs elementary school tests citizenship knowledge

HOT SPRINGS — Langston Leadership Academy fourth-grade students learned what it took to pass the U.S. citizenship test Thursday afternoon by competing in an annual Citizenship Bee for Arkansas’ 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. Students who answered incorrectly 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 agency’s 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 break down a large amount of information into smaller, more manageable sections.

According to the Arkansas Department of Education, Act 478 of 2017 requires “all students seeking a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma 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 Leadership Academy’s annual Citizenship Bee came about when Betty Telles, the academy’s facilitator for English learners, was teaching English to another staff member who was working through the citizenship process, Ellars said.

Reginea Floyd won Thursday’s competition, followed by Azar Bryant and Arella Canales. 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.