To enter the National Civics Bee, students must write an essay addressing a specific problem in their community.

When Beth Black sat down to write her paper this spring, the eighth grader at Powell Middle School picked an issue she knew: screen time in education.

Black’s arguments for cutting back on screens landed her a spot in the bee and they — along with her knowledge of the country’s foundations — earned her the top prize at the regional competition in April. She prevailed over 10 other middle schoolers from Thermopolis, Jackson and Lincoln County.

At the April 14 event in Thermopolis, Black aced 17 of 20 multiple choice questions covering topics like the Federalist Papers and the country’s founding documents and principles. The performance put Black in the lead for the final round, where she impressed the judges with a truncated version of her essay.

Black has won multiple trophies as a member of the middle school speech and debate team, but the regional civics competition also came with a $500 check. On top of that, Black earned the opportunity to compete for the state title in Cheyenne this week. 

The regional event was hosted by the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, while the Wyoming Chamber of Commerce is hosting the state contest — all in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Presenting the issue

The contest requires participants to tie their ideas back to America’s founding principles and civic virtues, and Black argues that an “oversaturation of screens” interferes with students’ right to pursue happiness.

“By having over usage of screen time in schools, we see higher screen
addiction, and with more screen addiction rates, we see more things like obesity, depression, suicide, pornography addiction, social media addiction, things like that,” she said.

Black contends that requiring students to use the devices interferes with their rights and the rights of their parents. She also argues the abundance of screens can be tied to recent drops in various test scores.

“That is a violation of the students’ rights [as well], because they’re not getting a good education,” Black said, and it presents a problem for the country, “because we’re not having good kids turned into well-educated adults that go into the workforce.”

The proposed solution

As part of her essay, Black was required to propose a solution to her problem. Her suggestion is to almost completely eliminate screens in elementary schools by cutting screen time to a weekly or monthly visit to a computer lab. She thinks more devices could be incorporated in middle and high schools, but that homework should remain on paper and devices should stay at the school in most cases.

Black said her concept is to have a gradual introduction to the technology “instead of just putting them on screens the second they get into kindergarten, because in elementary schools, your brain is just doing so much developing.”

The National Civics Bee requires participants to find supporters to help “bring the idea to life” and Black had conversations with state Rep. Art Washut of Casper (who also happens to be her grandfather), state Rep. Paul Hoeft of Powell and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder. She also got into contact with organizations like ScreenStrong and the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which advocate for limiting kids’ exposure to screens.

In addition, Black recently met with Park County School District 1 Superintendent Jay Curtis, who described himself as “so impressed” with Black’s research and passion.

The superintendent’s view

Within Powell schools, kindergartners through second graders are provided with an iPad tablet and third graders and up are assigned a Chromebook laptop; both middle school and high school students had been taking their laptops home. 

However, Curtis said that Black is touching on a subject that personnel within the district were already revisiting. He said they’ve been discussing the role technology should play in education and recently decided that, starting with the upcoming school year, middle schoolers will no longer bring their Chromebooks home.

The superintendent also expects more conversations around the state; during the Legislature’s recent recalibration process, Curtis said it appeared some lawmakers would like to minimize technology.

“I personally am not convinced that the research would support a full reversal,” he said, “but do think that minimizing use, being smarter, and being more purposeful could be supported.”

Curtis noted that the district has a responsibility to ensure students receive a high-quality education that prepares them for the world they’ll enter — and he said that includes technology literacy, use and access.

“At the same time,” he said, “I believe it is entirely appropriate for our district and community to ask the question, ‘How much technology is needed?’”

Curtis said the district should be intentional about using technology to enhance learning while recognizing the importance of face-to-face interaction, critical thinking, hands-on experiences and healthy student development.

“Beth [Black]’s success certainly speaks to the value of students examining issues, researching different perspectives, and advocating for ideas they believe in,” Curtis added. “Whether people fully or partially agree with all of her conclusions or not, that’s exactly the kind of civic engagement we want to encourage!”

He called Black’s win at the regional level “an outstanding accomplishment, and we’re incredibly proud of her!”

The next level

Regardless of how the state competition goes, Black said she’d like to keep pushing for fewer screens in schools.

“As I got into it,” she said, “I realized it was way more of an issue than I thought.”

Black is set to compete with fellow middle schoolers from across Wyoming at the state finals, set for Friday [JUNE 26] at Laramie County Community College. The winner in Cheyenne will take home $1,000 and earn a ticket to the national bee — where a $100,000 contribution to an education savings plan will be up for grabs.