St. Matthew’s Catholic School eighth grader Tristan Robbins is on his way state after placing second at the Western Regional Civics Bee.  

The National Civics Bee is an annual competition offered to middle school students in an effort to increase civic literacy and engagement. The nonpartisan competition is organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.  

Eighteen students competed at the Western Regional Civics Bee held at Flathead Valley Community College in April. This was the first year the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce hosted the regional competition.  

Jennifer Cronk, the chamber’s workforce and special initiatives director, said students were selected for the competition based on civic engagement essays on ideas to improve their communities. The essays were scored by the national organization and the top 20 in western, central and eastern Montana were invited to compete at their respective regional bees, she said.   

During the competition, students demonstrated their understanding of government and U.S. history through two rounds of 10 multiple-choice questions. Students had 30 seconds to answer a question, Robbins said.  Robbins said he scored 16 out of 20 points and that students weren’t docked points for incorrect answers.   

In the third and final round, students gave speeches on their essays and fielded questions from judges.   

"I wrote on composting and diverting food waste from our landfills,” Robbins said.  

Participating in the civics bee was optional for St. Matthew’s students. Robbins, an American war history buff, knew he wanted to try it out.  

To prepare for the civics bee, students were given practice booklets, Robbins said. Success at a civics bee requires a combination of prior knowledge, studying and practice quizzes, he said.   

“You have your background knowledge and then, like two or three months in advance, they send you a 38-page study guide with URL’s you would study,” he said. 

Robbins said he’s going into the bees with the mindset that it is a learning experience he can draw from when he competes next year. At state, he will compete against eight students from western, central and eastern Montana.  

“For state, it's gonna be a lot harder," he said. 

He expects questions on lesser-known subject matter. He also plans to fine-tune his speech, anticipating that the judges will ask for more details and facts.  

The civics bees are also an opportunity for students to meet peers from around the state.  

“It’s going to be a really fun experience just getting to know another person,” he said.   

The Montana Civics Bee will be held June 5 at the University of Montana to determine the national finalists. This year’s civics bee commemorates America’s 250th anniversary. 

For more information about the National Civics Bee, visit civics.uschamberfoundation.org.  

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.  

    Tristan Robbins, an eighth grader at St. Matthew's Catholic School, competes at the Western Regional Civics Bee on April 25, 2026, at Flathead Valley Community College. (Photo by Clint Ekern of Sky Vault Media)