Timber Ridge Middle School seventh-grader Aisha Chavda will return to the Illinois Civics Bee this summer to defend her title.
Chavda earned second place in the regional Civics Bee on April 28. The top three winners at the regional bee advanced to the state bee on July 31, 2026.
Last year, Chavda won the regional and Illinois bee in Springfield, punching her ticket to the national bee in Washington, D.C.
These 10 other District 202 middle school students competed in the regional Civics Bee, the most from any surrounding school districts, including Naperville, Bolingbrook, Channahon, and Laraway.
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
Zarun 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
Twenty students from the area in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades were chosen to compete in the regional event.
The regional bee was sponsored by the Joliet Chamber of Commerce and hosted by Lewis University.
Competitors were selected based on their written personal essays, which identified issues in their communities and proposed thoughtful solutions.
The competition featured two rounds of civics-based quiz questions, followed by a Q&A round where finalists presented and discussed their ideas for community improvement.