BV Buzz Newsletter

April 17, 2024

Hello Chamber Members & Friends,

We have winners!! This past Sunday was the live Civics Bee competition in Buena Vista. 20 Middle School student competed in 2 rounds of quite difficult multiple choice questions related to civics and how our government works.

The Top 5 (Congratulations Joseph Drexler, Simon Allen, Ryder Moore, Andee Quilico, and Max Saltzman!!!) then presented their essay topics to a standing room only audience of well over 100 people) and fielded questions from the judges.

The finalists all took the competition seriously and came incredibly well prepared. I'm so happy to celebrate the intelligence, poise, heartfelt ideas, and truly insightful essays these middle schoolers shared with us.

I'm grateful to have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation with the youth of our community. I hope they know how much they are appreciated and how much their voices matter. I hope us adults can continue to support them and create space for them speak out and participate as they grow into the engaged and integral members of society they are already becoming.

I only have permission slips to share the Top 20 Essays (read them here), but all 77 were really important and thoughtful and relevant as well.

The top 3 kids will be moving on to the state Civics Bee competition in Denver next month!!!! Give them support if you see them around town!

Please join me in congratulating our winners!!!!!

1st Place Simon Allen, Darren Patterson Christian Academy

Simon wrote about ways to create supportive community solutions to the housing affordability crisis.

"Another tactic we could use to attain affordable housing is by applying for grants from government agencies like DOLA (cdola.colorado.gov). They offer grants for nonprofits to rehabilitate and build new houses and apartments. We would use the grants to start more non-profit home building organizations in Buena Vista such as Habitat for Humanity to help. Although, some may think that it would be better to do this through a more commercial company like Fading West. Bringing these non-profits would also allow people to volunteer and see the needs of others that live in Buena Vista. Not only would it help solve the housing crisis but it would bring our community together by caring for one another and helping to solve a problem." - Simon Allen

2nd Place Joseph Drexler, Darren Patterson Christian Academy

Joseph wrote about inspiring curiosity and engagement in education.

"A huge problem in our community is the problem of students not feeling excited about their education. In the 2021-2022 school year in Colorado alone there were 9,665 dropouts in grades 7-12 and the rate has increased in the past four years even after accounting for Covid https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/dropoutcurrent...

...The second thing that could help fix the problem is actually giving students more choice in how their education is handled. We could do this by giving them varied pathways and more choice on what they want to study. For example, we could give high schoolers the option not to have advanced math, participate in a debate team, or to utilize experiential learning. One other way that we could give them additional choice is by letting them choose a representative to voice their concerns and offer suggestions at school board meetings. “By offering a variety of options, students can select tasks that align with their strengths and interests, enhancing their motivation and sense of ownership” - Joseph Drexler

3rd Place Andee Quilico, Buena Vista Middle School

Andee wrote a heart wrenching essay about teen violence, the causes, and the experience of living with it.

"Violence in our schools has gotten out of hand during the past couple of years. As a teenager living in this very war-torn and violent world, I want to create more ways to help us feel safer and reduce the violence in our small towns....

...According to our school district’s file, JICDD, “Students exhibiting violent or aggressive behavior or warning signs of future violent or aggressive behavior shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action including suspension and expulsion...” Although our school claims that it will handle physical fights very seriously, I have noticed that it handles our fights very loosely...

...When we think about the improvements we want to make in our community, stopping this violence plays a key role in making Buena Vista the town we all want it to be. As we make these changes to our beautiful community, we must remember one thing; “Violence cannot be stopped by violence. It has to be stopped by wisdom. Only wisdom can stop the violence.” -  Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar"
- Andee Quilico

These three winning essays show a collective desire for a world where all people are safe and secure and enthusiastic about their lives and engaged in their communities. Here's to cultivating that community wisdom together.

Liz