The Seneca County Chamber Community Foundation held its first-ever Regional Civics Bee competition last month, with three local students advancing to the state competition in Albany later this summer.
The event took place on April 25 and featured 20 students from across the region, including participants from Seneca County, Rochester, Ithaca, Jamestown, and surrounding communities.
Felicity Crow of Geneva earned first place for proposing a program aimed at making reading and literacy skills more accessible in communities. Malaika Bynke of Dundee placed second with a proposal focused on helping families improve cooking skills and gain better access to cooking supplies. Penelope Galens of Penn Yan finished third after presenting an idea centered on increasing access to art supplies and encouraging family participation in the arts.
All three students attend Moodie’s School in Geneva and will move on to the next round of competition in Albany this July. A national competition is planned for Washington, D.C., later in 2026.
The competition was hosted at the Northeast College of Health Sciences, which also provided lunch for students and their families.
The Civics Bee is organized by the Seneca County Chamber Community Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Foundation officials say they plan to make the Regional Civics Bee an annual event. Information about future competitions and applications will be shared on the Seneca County Chamber Community Foundation’s social media pages and at SenecaChamber.org.
