STUDENTS WIN CITIZEN BEE AT UNIVERSITY

Two area high

school students finished first and second at the Regional Citizen Bee competition last month on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Keenan Kinder of Jackson High School finished first and

Sabrina Renka of Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School was second.

They, along with two other Southeast Missouri students, will advance to the state Citizen Bee competition later this

month in Jefferson City.

Fifteen area students competed in the regional event after advancing from similar local

events in February.

The regional winners will vie to advance to the national competition when they meet in

Jefferson City.

Students selected for the national competition will compete for $48,000 in

scholarships provided by the American Honda Foundation.

The competition is sponsored by the Close Up Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Students competed in several rounds of written and oral questions on U.S. history,

geography, economics, government and current events.

Nearly 150,000 students representing 4,000 schools nationwide have participated in

the Close Up Citizen Bee Program this year. The Close Up Foundation is the largest U.S.

government studies program and brings more than 22,000 high school students, teachers and

others to Washington, D.C., for a series of weeklong seminars.