Plainfield 6th Grader Wins Local Civics Bee

PLAINFIELD, IL — A Plainfield middle school student was crowned the winner of the 2025 National Civics Bee, held May 3 in Orland Park, Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 officials announced.

Aisha Chavda was one of 13 students to compete in the Bee, which was hosted by the Orland Park Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

"I worked hard, but I was shocked that I won," the student said, per a district news release.

Chavda, who was finishing sixth grade at Timber Ridge Middle School when she won, will represent Orland Park on July 7 at the Illinois State Civics Bee Finals in Springfield.

The National Civics Bee is open to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students in participating states. After the finals in Illinois's capital city, one state winner will move on to the national championship in the fall in Washington D.C.

Participants compete in a two-part challenge, featuring a live quiz round and an essay presentation judged on policy thinking, civic virtues and community impact. The Bee tests students on American history, civic principles and the Constitution. Chavda wrote about cyberbullying.

"There is a lot of cyberbullying going around, and I don't like it," she said, adding that she loves history, specifically the Renaissance period, civics and government.