North Carolina State Representative Rodney D. Pierce will host the first Eastern North Carolina Civics Bowl at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 13 in Room 401 at Halifax Community College.
Free and open to the public, the event aims to inspire a renewed focus on civic knowledge and political participation among students across northeastern North Carolina.
The Civics Bowl will be hosted by Frank McMahon, assistant site manager at Historic Halifax State Historic Site.
Participating schools include Halifax County Schools, Weldon City Schools, Roanoke Rapids Graded School District, Northampton County Schools, Warren County Schools, Halifax Academy, Northeast Academy, KIPP Pride High School, Hobgood Charter School, and Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School.
Invitations were also extended to Norlina Christian School, Victory Christian Academy, and Littleton Academy, but those schools either declined or did not respond for this year’s competition.
“We have traditional public school districts, charters, and private schools participating,” said Pierce. “We’re hoping this will really bring the community together prior to the holiday break.”
A teacher-turned-lawmaker focused on civics
The Civics Bowl reflects Pierce’s deep roots as a middle school social studies teacher from 2015 to 2024, during which he was named the NC Council for the Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 2019 and helped write the state’s 8th grade social studies standards as a consultant with the NC Department of Public Instruction in 2021.
“I’d tell my students, ‘If you asked a random adult what the three branches of government are and what they do, a lot of them couldn’t answer — and that’s scary,’” said Pierce. “People are electing others into a system they don’t even understand.”
Pierce said he’s long envisioned having students conduct surveys at polling sites in their home precincts, asking voters those very questions — a reflection of his belief that many people vote without understanding how the system works.
“Teaching constituents is part of our job as elected officials,” Pierce said. “We’re not just here to draft bills, debate the legislation, and then vote on it. We’re here to help people understand how this system is supposed to work.”
Civics pushed aside
As a teacher, Pierce witnessed how civic and historical education were increasingly marginalized in schools.
When the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 621 in 2019, it eliminated middle school social studies final exams beginning in the 2020-21 school year. Prior to that, Pierce said, schools had already shifted even more of their energy toward reading, math, and science — subjects used in calculating performance grades.
“Social studies became the redheaded stepchild of the core four classes,” said Pierce. “I don’t blame the administrators. They were and still are under pressure to hit growth targets. But the impact has been devastating for civic knowledge.”
This shift has had clear statewide implications, he said.
According to the 2024 North Carolina Civic Health Index, the state ranked near the bottom nationally in voter turnout and registration, public participation — such as attending meetings or contacting officials — discussing political and social issues with family and friends, and consuming political news.
In rural counties like those in House District 27, voter turnout lags behind urban centers. Pierce says part of that decline in engagement is rooted in neglected civic education — and that some politicians prefer it that way.
“When people don’t know how their government works, they can’t hold anyone accountable,” he said. “And politicians can benefit from that. That’s part of why education funding stays low — because certain legislators and policy makers, whether at the local, state or federal level, don’t want students, who go on to become voters, developing critical thinking skills, because they would then likely challenge these systems of government to change, and that could mean electing other people into office.”
A grassroots start
Pierce hopes this year’s Civics Bowl will be the first step toward a larger movement. He envisions other counties starting their own competitions, potentially growing into a regional or statewide tournament.
“I actually thought about introducing a bill to establish a statewide Civics Bowl,” Pierce said. “But I decided to pilot it first — to show what could be done without a single appropriation. We can go back to the General Assembly next session with a success story in hand.”
Pierce is no stranger to pushing for civics-focused policy. Earlier this session, he introduced House Bill 325, which would have created $3 million in field trip grants over the biennium — providing $2,000 grants per school, especially in Tier 1 counties, to fund trips to the Legislative Building. The goal was to give students firsthand experience in how their state government functions, with time left to explore the state capital.
Why civics matter
Research shows that for many students — especially rural White youth and Black and Latino boys — school is the only place they receive civic education.
A 2022 study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement found that nearly 30 percent of students learn about civics only or mostly in schools.
Meanwhile, students in urban areas were more likely to receive media literacy instruction, participate in classroom debates, or take part in service-learning projects — creating a growing civic knowledge gap.
Studies show civic education does more than produce voters. It helps students become better problem solvers, active community members, and more respectful participants in a democracy.
And with many young people disillusioned, the stakes are high. A national survey by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars found:
57 percent of Americans aged 18-24 are dissatisfied with the political system
52 percent have little or no trust in government institutions
Only 4 percent could correctly answer four basic civics questions
Most do not identify with either major political party
“If young people aren’t engaged in civics and don’t understand how their systems of government work,” Pierce said, “then how are we going to produce the next generation of leaders — or an engaged citizenry that holds leaders accountable?”
For more information or to become a sponsor, email Pierce at
