Eleven District 202 middle school students will compete in the regional Civics Bee on April 28.
Here are the District 202 students who will compete in the regional bee:
Aisha Chavda, 7th grade, Timber Ridge Middle School
Ava Dreger, 7th grade, Indian Trail Middle School
Kaleigh Hebenstreit, 7th grade, Indian Trail Middle School
Cindy Jargalsaikhan, 8th grade, John F. Kennedy Middle School
Varun Kandimalla, 8th grade, John F. Kennedy Middle School
Sarvik Narwade, 7th grade, Heritage Grove Middle School
Arjan Saluja, 6th grade, John F. Kennedy Middle School
Binay Saluja, 8th grade, John F. Kennedy Middle School
Cecilia Stevens, 7th grade, Aux Sable Middle School
Drake Tucker, 7th grade, Timber Ridge Middle School
Virat Verma, 7th grade, Heritage Grove Middle School
Last year, Chavda won the regional and Illinois bee in Springfield, punching her ticket to the national bee in Washington, D.C.
Twenty students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade were chosen to compete in the regional event at Lewis University on April 28, 2026.
The regional competitors are from Naperville, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Channahon, and Laraway school districts.
Competitors were selected based on their written personal essays, which identified issues in their communities and proposed thoughtful solutions.
The live regional event is open to the public and begins at 4 p.m. on April 28 in the St. Charles Borromeo Convocation Hall at Lewis University, 101 W. Arpt Road, Romeoville.
The competition will feature two rounds of civics-based quiz questions, followed by a Q&A round where finalists will present and discuss their ideas for community improvement.