Colorado teen from Boulder County competes in National Civics Bee
Most 14-year-olds wouldn't put a trip to the Colorado State Capitol on their bucket list, but Cameron Parker was in his element as he soaked up history with Colorado Senate President James Coleman before heading to the nation's Capitol on Tuesday, where he'll represent Colorado in the National Civics Bee.
A freshman at Centaurus High School in Lafayette, Cameron says he's competing in honor of his middle school social studies teacher, who inspired him to enter the competition.
"Ryan Conrad, shout out to him, he is an amazing social studies teacher. Civics education is one of the most important things you can do. Out of 10, 11 out of 10 importance. It's that critical," said Parker.
Especially now, he says, with so much toxicity in politics, "The more education and the more you care about civics, the less of that toxicity is present."
Coleman says the country needs more young people like Cameron.
"No disrespect to the other 49 states, but we think we have the best in Cameron Parker, and he's going to represent us well," said Coleman.
Cameron says he's prepared as best he can, "I think so far I've done 80 hours total of studying. I'll do my best, but I don't want to make assumptions. I don't want to jinx it."
He'll not only be tested on his knowledge of government, but an essay he wrote about disaster preparedness that was inspired by his dad's escape during the Marshall Fire.
"He was supposed to get an alert on his phone, and he didn't. He got a call from a colleague saying that there's a fire and to get out. I think it would be interesting to get into politics, but right now, civics is about helping my community."
In addition to Coleman, Gov. Jared Polis is also pulling for Cameron, "Cameron, I want to wish you good luck in the National Civics Bee."
The winner of the competition will receive a $100,000 college scholarship.
The Civics Bee was founded by the Daniels Fund and U.S. Chamber of Commerce as part of an effort to restore civics as a cornerstone of public education.
The local and state competitions were sponsored by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. The championships will take place in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 11.