Congratulations to Ray-Pec East Middle School Student Konnor Chipps, who placed second at the recent Civics Bee in Harrisonville. He received a $500 prize. Kennady Smith from Ray-Pec South Middle School won first place and a $1,000 prize.
The third-place winner was Emilee Burkitt from Harrisonville, who received $250. They were among 20 middle school students who competed on March 27 at the local Civics Bee. These top three winners advance to the state finals, which take place sometime in mid-May through August. One finalist from each state receives a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for prizes at the National Championship in the fall.
Area 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students were invited to enter the competition by submitting an essay. The 20 highest-scoring essay entrants qualified for the live local round on March 17. Ray-Pec qualifiers were: Braxton Bittner, Molly Brewster, Sydney Campbell, Konnor Chipps, Riley Coonce, Lilly Anna Everhart, Hendrix Fern, Declyn Gallagher, Justice Jackson, Nathan Larsen, Laura Lingard, Haleigh Neal, Shane Roe, Declan Schell, Colton Smith, Kennady Smith, and Kylee Vaught.