St. Cloud student takes silver in national civics competition

A St. Cloud student finished second in the National Civics Bee on Wednesday, representing Florida against students from across the country.Araoluwa A., a freshman at NeoCity Academy in Kissimmee, competed against 51 other finalists at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C., according to The Osceola Chamber.The championship brought together representatives from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and American Samoa. Competitors were in sixth through eighth grades during the 2025-26 school year.Students begin the competition by writing an essay identifying a community issue and proposing ways to address it. Araoluwa’s essay focused on human trafficking awareness.According to his National Civics Bee profile, he explored ways to prevent exploitation and support people affected by trafficking.From regional finalist to state championAraoluwa qualified for the Florida competition after placing third at The Osceola Chamber’s regional bee April 17 at Rosen Centre Orla