Lincoln Middle clinches 8th annual Civics Challenge, Westwood earns silver

Students for Howard Bishop Middle school huddle to discuss an answer. Photo by Seth Johnson
Students for Howard Bishop Middle school huddle to discuss an answer.
Photo by Seth Johnson

Lincoln Middle School clinched the Eighth Annual Civics Challenge on Thursday, winning the civil competition for the second year running.  

The competition, held at the Alachua County Administration Building, featured seven middle schools from the Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) district. Styled after Family Feud, the questions ranged from why America’s founding fathers established certain systems to current practices and procedures no longer used.  

For example: what phrase from the preamble to the U.S. Constitution supports the creation of the U.S. Army, how many Supreme Court justices are needed for a majority decision and how were U.S. Senators originally selected? 

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The Lincoln Middle School team poses with their hard-won hardware. Photo by Seth Johnson
Photo by Seth Johnson The Lincoln Middle School team poses with their hard-won hardware.

The seven middle school teams went head-to-head, and each team also worked together on a written test. The combined scores were used to pick the winner.  

Lincoln’s team consisted of Jutla Avinoor, Chloe Bian, Julius Deutsch, Benjamin Jones, Brandon Lee, Yeats Minson and Nehir Uzun. Patrick Penny and Kassandra Villalaz are the two civics teachers for the school.  

Westwood Middle School earned second place. Team members included Faith Braaten, Cora Dunn, Diana Monk, Kathryn Moore, Caroline Rotchford, Allie-Ann Skotko, Raya Ulmer and Logan Watkins. Their teachers at the school are Leo Booth, Jose Corona and Angela Ornelas.  

The Westwood Middle School team earned second place this year. Photo by Seth Johnson (1)
Photo by Seth Johnson The Westwood Middle School team earned second place this year.

Dr. Jon Rehm, K-12 social studies curriculum specialist for ACPS, said students answer questions that adults, and sometimes the civics teachers, find difficult. Sometimes, he said, the students will use the exact wording from written law, like Election Day being held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. 

“This is for those high-flyers that want to go further with not just civics knowledge but go further in government, whether it’s local, state, national,” Rehm said.  

He said each school creates a team to send to the competition, and the schools find a balance with students involved in different ways, like magnet programs and homeschoolers.  

The competition also serves to introduce students to local government.  

Dr. Jon Rehm addresses the teams ahead of the awards ceremony. Photo by Seth Johnson
Photo by Seth Johnson Dr. Jon Rehm addresses the teams ahead of the awards ceremony.

The teams sit behind the dais where the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners convenes. Instead of deciding zoning, taxing or other laws, the students hit their buzzers and huddle to discuss answers.  

This year, Tax Collector John Power and Aaron Klein of the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office spoke to the students about their role in local government.  

The competition is presented in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Alachua County. In fact, league member Anne Shermyen initiated the idea.  

Shermyen said Florida had mandated a civics test for all seventh graders in 2014. Fresh off a trip to England that had involved a slew of pub quizzes, Shermyen thought a quiz bowl competition would help spur excitement around civics for middle school students. She said the process took more logistics than she thought, but ACPS supported the idea.  

The league raises funds for the event and provides volunteers. Rehm creates all the questions, using the curriculum standards and state test as the source. He even throws in specifics about Alachua County’s elected leaders.  

“I thought it would be cool if we could raise the visibility of civics with the students and in the community, make it something that’s a little more fun and help with reviewing for the exams,” Shermyen said.  

The first year included just two schools, and Shermyen said the organizers learned a lot to better the competition. Now, Rehm said each middle school is involved, though, because of scheduling conflicts, two schools couldn’t join this year.  

Mebane Middle School teammates talk over an answer. Photo by Seth Johnson
Photo by Seth Johnson Mebane Middle School teammates talk over an answer.

Shermyen said the competition has expanded to include a virtual competition for all ACPS seventh graders, including 2,000 students last year, and for the second year, a virtual competition for all 11th-grade U.S. Government students, including 700 students last year. 

She said the competition timing serves as a review for the end-of-year state assessment.  

But the competition is more than just practice to ace the test.  

“Remember, civic engagement is not just about understanding laws and policies; it’s about actively participating in your community, thinking critically about the world around you, and using your voice to make a difference,” Rehm wrote in an introduction to the competition.  

2025 Civics Challenge Competitors 

Fort Clarke Middle 

  • Andrew Atohi 
  • Elliot Barbe 
  • Harper Gilbert 
  • Eleanor Rodriuez 
  • Aung Pyae 
  • Eileen Traynor 
  • Atticus Valentine 

Hawthorne Middle 

  • Brooke Cassels 
  • Harrison Daugherty 
  • Derrick Davis 
  • Drew Davis 
  • Justin Perez Chavez 
  • Gavin Humphrey 
  • Kenneth Polk 

Howard Bishop Middle 

  • Alex Conerly  
  • Jacob Dose 
  • Benjamin Hartman 
  • Lily Rehm 
  • Frederick Tyndall 

Kanapaha Middle 

  • Bryn Crawford 
  • Ezani Ewart 
  • Emma Haager 
  • Avery Jones 
  • Rylan Nappo 
  • Laila McCaslin  
  • Chase Sowcik 

Mebane Middle 

  • Joseph Jamora 
  • Robert Johnson 
  • Gary Li 
  • Matthew Lillico 
  • Rhett Little 
  • Charles Petty 
  • Sophia Pilgram 

Editor’s note: Aaron Klein, not Kim Barton, of the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office spoke at the event.

Part of the team from Hawthorne Middle School reads the questions off the screen. Photo by Seth Johnson (1)
Photo by Seth Johnson Part of the team from Hawthorne Middle School reads the questions off the screen.
Frederick Tyndall with Howard Bishop Middle answers a questions during the competition. Photo by Seth Johnson (1)
Photo by Seth Johnson Frederick Tyndall with Howard Bishop Middle answers a questions during the competition.
Mebane Middle School teammates discuss an answer. Photo by Seth Johnson
Photo by Seth Johnson Mebane Middle School teammates discuss an answer.
Julius Deutsch preps to hit the buzzer for an opportunity to answer. Photo by Seth Johnson
Photo by Seth Johnson Julius Deutsch preps to hit the buzzer for an opportunity to answer.

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Kris Pagenkopf

Congratulations to all! You are now more qualified to serve in Congress than the majority of those that are there now.

Janice Garry

Thank you for covering this exciting event, Seth and Main Street! The League of Women Voters of Alachua County is proud to sponsor this event each year. Education, especially about civics, is a pillar of a robust democracy.

Of note, unexpectedly Kim Barton, Supervisor of Elections, was unable to attend. Aaron Klein, SOE Director of Communications and Outreach, attended in her place.
Janice Garry, President
LWV of Alachua County