Bennett’s Mill Middle student Kaden Jawwaad won the 2025 Georgia State Finals of the National Civics Bee and will represent the state in the national competition in Washington, D.C. this fall. 

Jawwaad, a rising 8th grader, focused his proposal on the lack of public transportation in Fayette County. 

“Public transportation was my issue because climate change and global warming is a large problem, but that was too broad as a problem, so I wanted to tackle something that could help. I know cars, since they’re gasoline powered, they’re producing a lot of CO2. If we can establish something where everyone in the community rides a bus, that would bring less carbon going into the atmosphere, which would help slow down global warming. We’re starting to hit that 1.5-degrees Celsius mark that’s going to be irreversible effects for global warming, and we only have about two years to stop it, so something does need to be done.” 

The Georgia State Finals of the National Civics Bee were hosted by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Foundation and organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 

Georgia State Senator Sonya Halpern, who served as a judge, said: “Every student was remarkable. Their essays were fantastic; their delivery was great. Kaden stood out for his exuberance and presentation. He had well thought out answers to the questions that we posed, and he really understood the issue that he wanted to address. I especially appreciated that he tied public transportation to getting people moving around and to the environment. This speaks to the coalition building you have to do if you’re ever going to do the solution.” 

The Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities.  

Chris Clark, President & CEO of the Georgia Chamber, praised Jawwaad’s performance: “Kaden is a true servant-hearted civic leader who will represent Georgia well in the Civics Bee National Championship. Developing the next generation of engaged citizens is a critical part of the Georgia Chamber’s mission. The 22 finalists who competed demonstrate that Georgia’s future is in good hands, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a future governor or senator on stage.”