[Host] And just like that, Civic Bowl 2026 is underway.

Today, we welcome two new teams for match number two.

Each hoping to outsmart the other on topics ranging from the U.S.

Constitution to the structure of our local government.

Liberty High School versus Central Valley High School starts now!

[Marchy patriotic music] [Voiceover] Civics Bowl is made possible by the Avista Foundation, The League of Women Voters of the Spokane area and of Washington.

And by viewers like you.

[Marchy patriotic music] Hi everyone, and welcome to Civics Bowl 2026.

I'm your new host, Scott Leadingham.

If you watched match one, I hope you're already learning a lot about government, history and so much more.

Today we have another exciting matchup.

Let's take a look at the bracket.

Today, Liberty High School from Spangle and Central Valley High School from the Spokane Valley will face off.

The winner will move on to the semifinals.

Let's meet the teams from Liberty High School.

Please welcome Zoe, Colin, Thomas and Carter.

And in the audience, we also have Liberty's alternate, Kinley and coach Kenny VanSickle.

And from Central Valley High School we have Joe, Alex, Trevor and Aubrey.

We'd also like to welcome coach Rob Rowe in the audience today.

Let's get match number two started.

The teams have reviewed the game rules and we posted them on KSPS.org as well.

We'll start with a Toss-Up round.

I'll start by asking a Toss-Up question to all players.

A correct answer gives that team a bonus question.

Before we move on to another toss-up, all correct answers in this round are worth ten points.

Teams.

Let's begin.

[Swoosh] Here's your first toss-up.

When the U.S.

Constitution was first written, what was missing that caused an outcry from concerned citizens?

[Buzzer] [Host] Colin.

[Colin] A Bill of rights.

[Host] Correct.

And for your bonus, which constitutional amendment, also part of the Bill of Rights, was designed to protect rights not anticipated by the founders at that time.

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] Our team's answer is the ninth.

[Host] That is correct.

Back to the Toss-Up.

What does the word suffrage mean?

[Buzzer] [Host] Colin.

[Colin] The right to vote.

[Host] Correct.

Another bonus for you.

True or false?

Each state has the power to set voter qualifications.

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] Our team's answer is true.

[Host] Yes, that is correct.

Another toss-up.

It's a guest video.

[Guest Presenter] Hi, I'm Samantha Sabin, a student and member of the women's rowing team here at Gonzaga University.

Even before women were permitted to vote in federal elections, which state first gave women the right to vote in a state election?

[Buzzer] [Host] Thomas.

[Thomas] Maryland.

[Host] Incorrect.

Would CV like to take?

[Buzzer] [Trevor] Wyoming.

[Host] Yes.

You said Wyoming.

That is correct.

Now, a bonus, it's another guest video.

[Samantha Sabin] Wyoming, while still a territory actually, gave women the vote in 1869.

When were women in Washington granted state voting rights?

[Time-Up Buzzer] [Host] Need an answer.

[Alex] 1874.

[Host] Incorrect.

It was in 1910.

Washington didn't become a state until 1889.

And now, back to the toss up.

[Guest Presenter] Hi, I'm Spokane County Commissioner Mary Brooks.

The Spokane County Board of Commissioners is the governing body for the county.

How many commissioners represent the people of Spokane County?

[Buzzer] [Host] Carter.

[Carter] Three.

[Host] Incorrect.

[Host] CV?

[Buzzer] [Host] Yes.

[Audrey] Six.

[Host] That is also incorrect.

It's five commissioners.

Another toss up.

During the creation of the U.S.

Constitution, Framers debated how enslaved people should be counted in a state's population.

Name the compromise that addressed this for the purposes of representation in Congress.

[Buzzer] [Host] Zoe.

[Zoe] The Three-Fifths Compromise.

[Host] That is correct.

And your bonus.

What did the Framers agree to in the Three-Fifths Compromise?

[Liberty team discussing] [Times-Up Buzzer] [Thomas] That African Americans would be counted as 3/5 of a vote.

[Host] Correct.

And specifically enslaved people.

But, but yes.

3/5.

Back to another toss up.

How many senators represent each legislative district in the Washington State Legislature?

[Buzzer] [Host] Carter.

[Carter] One.

[Host] Correct.

Your bonus.

How often are Washington state senators elected?

[Thomas] Our team's answer is four years.

[Host] That is correct.

Another toss up.

In many ways, our state government is organized like the federal government, with legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Who heads up the executive branch here in Washington?

[Buzzer] [Host] Colin.

[Colin] The governor.

[Host] That is correct.

Who, of course, is Bob Ferguson.

Your bonus.

Washington's governor stays pretty busy.

That's why the state constitution creates additional executive branch offices to help keep our state running.

Can you name two additional executive branch officials who are elected by the people in Washington?

[Liberty discussing] [Times-Up Buzzer] [Thomas] Our team's answer is lieutenant governor and mayor.

[Host] You said, “and mayor.” We will not take it.

I'm sorry, you answered incorrectly on that, mayor.

Another toss up.

It's another guest video.

[Denny Heck] Hi, I'm Washington state's Lieutenant Governor, Denny Heck.

Our state legislature meets every year in session.

In what city do they meet?

[Buzzer] [Host] Thomas.

[Thomas] Olympia.

[Host] Correct.

Another bonus for you.

And back to the lieutenant governor.

[Denny Heck] The Washington State Capitol building in Olympia was the very last state capitol in the entire United States to be built with what architectural feature?

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] Our team's answer is a dome.

[Host] I think we'll take that.

Yeah.

Or the rotunda.

Or a dome.

Yes.

Another toss up.

What do we call the legal process by which a person can become a citizen of a country they were not born in?

[Buzzer] [Host] Carter.

[Carter] Naturalization.

[Host] Correct.

Your bonus.

True or false?

A person can gain U.S.

citizenship simply by marrying an American.

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] Our team's answer is true.

[Host] That is actually false, not simply by marrying.

And another toss up.

It's an image.

The sheriff of Spokane County is an elected office.

Shown on the monitor, who is our current sheriff?

[Times-Up Buzzer] [Host] No one knows the sheriff?

Maybe that's a good thing because you weren't arrested or anything.

It's John Knowles, John Knowles And another toss up.

Who was the youngest U.S.

President to be elected?

[Buzzer] [Host] Zoe.

[Zoe] John F. Kennedy.

[Host] Correct.

He was 43 when he took office.

And your bonus.

One president was younger than JFK when he took office via succession rather than being elected.

Who was that president?

[Liberty team discussing] [Times-Up Buzzer] [Thomas] Our team's answer is Harry Truman.

[Host] Incorrect.

It was Teddy Roosevelt who took over after McKinley was assassinated.

Another toss up.

What year did Washington become a state?

[Buzzer] [Host] Carter.

[Carter] 1889.

[Host] Correct.

Did I actually tell you that earlier?

Oops.

A multiple choice question now, which is on your screen.

When Washington was admitted into the Union in 1889, was it the... A.

35th state B.

42nd state C.

43rd state or D.

48th state.

[Thomas] Our team's answer is the 42nd state.

[Host] That is correct.

And this is going to be the last toss up.

Which European country brought the most utilized political ideals to North America?

[Buzzer] [Host] Carter.

[Carter] Rome.

[Host] Incorrect.

[Buzzer] [Host] Aubrey.

[Aubrey] Britain.

[Host] Yes.

We'll take that.

And your bonus.

Name two of three basic English concepts of government that influenced the new government in Colonial America.

[Central Valley discussing] [Alex] Our answer is natural rights and social contract.

[Host] Looking to the judges.

They will take that.

Yes.

Good job.

That is the end of the Toss-Up round.

That is a great first round, teams.

Good job.

[Clapping] [Host] We will take a look at the score after that first round.

It is Liberty at 150 and Central Valley at 30.

Still a lot of game to play folks.

That's okay.

And there's a lot more points to be had out there.

We'll play the head to head round next.

[Clapping] [Voiceover] It's time for this weeks question of the week.

When Washington was first formed into a territory in the 1850s.

What name was initially submitted to Congress?

A. Columbia B. Fillmore C. Pierce D. North Oregon.

We'll give you some time to think about it and share the answer later in the show.

This is the head to head round.

Team members will go against one another.

One on one.

As with the last round, correct answers are worth ten points.

[Swoosh] Here's your first question.

How many amendments are in the Bill of Rights?

[Buzzer] [Liberty] Ten.

[Host] Correct.

Before the U.S.

Constitution, what governing document described a firm league of friendship among the 13 states?

[Buzzer] [Liberty] Articles of Confederation.

[Host] Correct.

Which world war was originally called “The Great War” because of the enormous number of casualties and the large number of nations involved?

[Buzzer] [Liberty] World War One.

[Host] Correct.

Name the sole formal duty of the vice president originally assigned by the U.S.

Constitution.

[Buzzer] [Liberty] President of the House.

[Host] Incorrect.

[Times-Up Buzzer] [Host] It is actually president of the Senate.

Or to preside over the Senate.

Which amendment in the Bill of Rights provides the right to a fair and speedy trial by a jury and the right to have a lawyer?

[Buzzer] [Liberty] The sixth.

[Host] Correct.

What was the name of the village where three women were accused of witchcraft in 1692?

[Buzzer] [Liberty] Salem.

[Host] Correct.

What is the title of the elected official responsible for administering elections in Spokane County?

[Buzzer] [Central Valley] County auditor.

[Host] Correct.

Which department in the president's cabinet is the largest?

[Buzzer] [Central Valley] Agriculture.

[Host] Incorrect.

[Liberty] Department of Education.

[Host] Incorrect.

It's defense or war.

Which amendment to the U.S.

Constitution prohibited denying the right to vote based on a citizen's “race, color, or previous condition of servitude?” [Buzzer] [Liberty] The 14th.

[Host] Incorrect.

[Central Valley] The 15th.

[Host] Yes.

Which chamber of Congress has the power to investigate and pass articles of impeachment?

[Buzzer] [Central Valley] The House of Representatives.

[Host] Correct.

What does SCOTUS stand for?

[Buzzer] [Liberty] Secretary Commissioner of the United States.

[Host] Ooh, no!

Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1959, which two states were the last to be admitted into the union?

[Buzzer] [Central Valley] Alaska and Hawaii.

[Host] Correct.

[Ding] [Host] Oh, and that is it.

We are done with the head to head round.

Good job to both teams.

Great job, great job.

Let's take a look at the score.

We have Liberty at 200 and Central Valley at 70.

The category round is next.

We can't have Civics Bowl without lots of questions about government, politics, history, local government, and so much more.

A group of volunteers from the League of Women Voters of the Spokane area prepared hundreds of questions for this year's competition.

They sourced the questions from textbooks used in local civics and history classrooms, and followed Washington State high school curriculum standards.

A big thank you to this dedicated group for their commitment to civic health in our community.

Each season, we ask the participating schools to create a video.

It's a great way to learn more about these schools and share some school spirit.

And let's watch those videos now.

[Liberty] Liberty is located in Spangle, Washington, a small town of about 300 people.

But a small town means a tight knit community.

Here at Liberty, we pride ourselves in our academics and extracurriculars.

But most of all, we take pride in our people.

Our Civics Bowl team is almost entirely student led.

From practices to the production of this video.

I am Mr.

Fletcher, the principal here at Liberty High School, and I am proud to put forth our team of four starters and two alternates.

Liberty High School has had great success in programs such as FFA, FBLA, band and Knowledge Bowl.

From all of our students and staff and community.

We wish you all good luck.

[Central Valley] You see the banners?

You see the trophies in the glass cases.

You see the standing ovations.

You see the 4.0.

It's easy to think this is what defines us.

And the medals are just medals and the grades are just ink.

Do you think being a bear, is about awards and recognition.

You're only seeing the surface.

At Central Valley, greatness isn't a requirement.

It's a symptom.

It's not what we do.

It's who we are.

You don't have to earn a spot in this family.

You don't have to prove you belong.

The pride...it's built in.

It's in our blood.

We don't just attend CV.

We are CV.

[Host] Great job teams.

Those are great.

[Clapping] Before we continue, we have a score correction.

During the break, we reviewed the head to head round and have award in Central Valley ten points.

There is a little error on my part.

I accidentally read one of the answers before they had a chance to ring in.

So our score now stands with Liberty at 200 and Central Valley at 80.

It's time for the category around now, where teams will select questions from five categories.

It's the first round where points are deducted for wrong answers, but you can decline or choose not to answer a question or toss a question to the other team.

The receiving team must then answer the question and will either win or lose the associated points.

So teams use those tosses wisely.

Here are the categories you will be choosing from Presidents Quote Presidents.

Constitutional Definitions.

Poor Richard.

The Great Crash.

And Hit it out of the park.

[Swoosh] Central Valley, you get to select first.

[Alex] We'll do constitutional definitions for 15.

[Host] For 15.

Which of the basic principles around which the U.S.

Constitution is written means that all political power resides in the people?

[Central Valley discussing] [Alex] Popular sovereignty.

[Host] That is correct.

Liberty.

Constitutional definitions for 20.

Which basic principle of the U.S.

Constitution means that the powers of government are distributed among three distinct and independent branches of the government?

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] Uh, checks and balances or division of power.

[Host] So I'm going to look for the judges.

Yes, we'll go with that.

We're looking for separation of powers, but that falls under it.

CV.

[Alex] Presidents Quote Presidents for 15.

[Host] There are some special guests to present this category for you.

Hi, I'm Shari McMahan, the president of Eastern Washington University.

So I know a thing or two about presidents.

Which U.S.

president said did the Soviet Union General Secretary, “Mr.

Gorbachev, tear down this wall”?

[Central Valley discussing] [Alex] Ronald Reagan.

[Host] That is correct.

Right in time.

Back to Liberty.

[Thomas] Presidents Quote Presidents.

[Host] All right.

Another presidential guest.

[Scott McQuilkin] Hi, I'm Scott McQuilkin president of Whitworth University.

Which U.S.

president said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand”?

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] George Washington.

[Host] That is... incorrect.

Lincoln.

Civil War.

Central Valley.

[Alex] Great Crash, 15.

What year did the U.S.

Stock Market crash, resulting in the deepest and most prolonged economic downturn in American history?

[Alex] 1929.

[Host] Correct.

Liberty.

[Thomas] Constitutional definitions.

[Host] For 25 points.

Which basic constitutional principle defines the power of the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action?

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] Judicial review.

[Host] That is correct.

Coming about in 1803, in Marbury v Madison.

Central Valley.

[Alex] Constitutional definition for 30, please.

[Host] Which basic principle of the U.S.

Constitution describes the distribution of power among a central government and several regional governments?

[Central Valley discussing] [Alex] Federalism.

[Host] That is correct.

Back to Liberty.

[Thomas] The Great crash.

[Host] For 20 points.

True or false?

Even before the stock market crash, more than half of American families lived on incomes at or below the poverty level.

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] True.

[Host] Yes, it is true.

CV.

Alex] Poor Richard, 15.

[Host] Which Framer of the U.S.

Constitution rose from modest beginnings with little formal education to become a successful printer, scientist, inventor, diplomat and statesman?

[Central Valley discussing] [Alex] Benjamin Franklin.

[Host] Correct.

Liberty.

[Thomas] Poor Richard for 20.

[Host] What makes Benjamin Franklin unique the Founding Fathers?

A. He was the fourth president.

B. He singlehandedly wrote most of the Constitution.

C. He signed four key founding documents.

D. He was an exceptional military commander.

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] Our team's answer is C.

[Host] C yes, he signed four key founding documents the Declaration of Independence, The Treaty Alliance with France, Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution.

To CV.

[Alex] Great Cash, 25, please.

[Host] October 1929 started with a record high in stock prices, but fell to a catastrophic low when the crash happened on October 29th.

What nickname was assigned to this dark day in U.S.

history?

[Central Valley discussing] [Alex] Black Monday.

[Host] Ooh, one day off, Black Tuesday.

Liberty.

[Thomas] The great crash for 30.

[Host] Last in that category.

The Great Depression would follow and last for more than a decade.

Then making matters worse, a lack of rain and unwise agricultural practices transformed the Great Plains into a Dust Bowl, sparking what nickname for the 1930s?

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] We would like to toss that question.

[Host] Tossing over to Central Valley.

You must answer it.

[Alex] Could you please repeat the question?

[Host] The Great Depression would follow and last for more than a decade.

Then, making matters worse, a lack of rain and unwise agricultural practices transformed the Great Plains into a Dust Bowl, sparking what nickname for the 1930s?

[Central Valley discussing] [Alex] The depression years.

[Host] No, it was the dirty 30s.

All right.

Will stay with Central Valley because it was toss to you.

So we stay with you.

[Alex] Presidents Quote Presidents, please.

And we are back to President McMahan.

[Shari McMahan] Which U.S.

president said, “Liberty when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”?

Is it... A. Thomas Jefferson.

B. Barack Obama.

C. Theodore Roosevelt or D. George Washington.

[Host] Need an answer.

[Alex] Teddy Roosevelt, please.

[Host] Incorrect.

It was George Washington.

It's back to Liberty.

This is the last question in this category.

[Thomas] Hit it out of the park.

[Host] For 15 points.

It's a video category.

[Otto Klein] Hi, Im Otto Klein from your local minor league baseball team, the Spokane Indians.

If someone says, “take me out to the ballgame,” where would you take them to watch a Spokane Indians game in Spokane?

[Liberty discussing] [Thomas] I defer to Zoe.

[Zoe] Our team's the answer is the Avista Stadium.

[Host] That is correct, Avista Stadium.

[Ding] And that is it for the category around.

Great job teams.

[Clapping] And now we'll take a look at the score.

It is Liberty with 280 and Central Valley with 90.

The lightning round is next.

[Voiceover] Its time for the answer to the question of the week.

Do you know which of these almost became the name of Washington State?

The answer is A. Columbia, to honor the Columbia River.

[Buzzer] However, Congress rejected the suggestion because they thought it would be confused with our nation's capital, the District of Columbia.

Apparently, at that time, people had not yet adopted the habit of calling the Capitol Washington, D.C., or simply Washington.

So they named the new territory Washington to honor our nation's first president, and left us with exactly the problem they wanted to avoid.

[Upbeat patriotic music] [Host] Welcome back.

During the break, we had another score correction.

Our judges decided an answer given by Liberty in the Constitutional Definitions category was actually incorrect.

So the updated score is now Liberty 240.

Central Valley 90.

And now we are here for the final round.

It is the lightning round.

We'll put 90 seconds on the clock.

Questions are worth 20 points, and points are deducted for wrong answers.

Teams.

Are you ready?

[Swoosh sound] [Host] Clock starts when I finish reading first question.

On what date, month, day and year, was the Declaration of Independence signed?

[Buzzer] [Host] Trevor.

[Trevor] July 4th, 1776.

[Host] Correct.

Which branch of the U.S.

federal government makes laws?

[Buzzer] [Host] Carter.

[Carter] Legislative.

[Host] Correct.

Are most court cases heard in state courts or federal courts.

[Buzzer] [Host] Thomas.

[Thomas] State.

[Host] Correct.

True or false?

Our region's first people believe that no one person or group owned the land.

[Buzzer] [Host] Alex.

[Alex] False.

[Host] No, it is true.

Which article in the U.S.

Constitution creates the executive branch of government?

[Buzzer] [Host] Aubrey.

[Aubrey] Two.

[Host] Correct.

What is the term for false or malicious use of the printed word?

[Buzzer] [Host] Thomas.

[Thomas] Libel.

[Host] Correct.

Who was the first woman President Pro Tempore of the U.S.

Senate?

[Buzzer] [Host] Thomas.

[Thomas] Patty Murray.

[Host] Correct.

U.S.

Senator Patty Murray of Washington.

What do we call a large complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization?

[Buzzer] [Host] Aubrey.

[Aubrey] A bureaucracy.

[Host] That is correct.

Does American government function as a direct democracy or an indirect democracy?

[Buzzer] [Host] Colin.

[Colin] Indirect.

[Host] Correct.

Indirect.

Who did the Second Continental Congress appoint as the commander of the Continental Army?

[Buzzer] [Host] Joe.

[Joe] George Washington.

[Host] Correct.

Who represents Washington's Fifth Congressional District in the House of Representatives?

[Buzzer] [Host] Alex.

[Alex] Michael Baumgartner.

[Host] Correct.

What ancient civilization is considered to have had the first democracy?

[Buzzer] [Host] Thomas.

[Ding] [Thomas] Rome.

[Host] Oh, no.

No.

We're looking for Athens or Greece or Greek civilization, not Rome.

All right.

That is the end of the fast lightning round.

[Clapping] And looking at the scores we have... Liberty at 320, and Central Valley at 170.

You made a great run there at the end, Central Valley, great job.

That means Liberty is moving on to face The Community School in the first match of the semifinals.

Central Valley, you did great today, and we thank you for being here for what was a really great match.

Thank you for your commitment to civics.

If you missed the first matchup, you can still watch it at ksps.org or on the PBS app.

Then be sure to follow the action all season.

Next Monday at seven see North Central High School take on Ridgeline High School.

From all of us here at KSPS PBS, thank you for watching.

[Clapping] [Host] Great job.

Great job.

[Voiceover] Civics Bowl is made possible by the Avista Foundation, the League of Women Voters of the Spokane area, and of Washington.

And by viewers like you.