(dramatic music) - Match your wits with Spokane County's best and brightest civics and history high school students.

It's Civics Bowl 2024.

We're back for our third season.

10 area high school teams will go head to head, but only one will bring home the trophy.

(dramatic music) (triumphant music) (triumphant music) - [Announcer] Civics bowl is made possible by Eastern Washington University, the Avista Foundation, the League of Women Voters of the Spokane area and of Washington, and by viewers like you.

(triumphant music) - Hello, the teams are ready, and so are we.

I'm your host and President and General Manager of KSPS, Gary Stokes.

Ahead tonight, four rounds of tough questions and a chance for you to see if you can compete with these students.

Here's a look at the bracket.

Round one's winner Ridgeline advances to play the Community School.

And in round two, the winner Liberty will play North Central.

Tonight, in round three, Lewis and Clark takes on Ferris High School.

Let's meet each team now.

Up first, Lewis and Clark.

- Hello, I'm Mike.

- Hello, I'm Bridger.

- Hello, I'm Sylvie.

- Hello, I'm Dashiell.

- [Gary] And we also wanna welcome Lewis and Clark's alternate Cole VanHersan and their coach Megan Gomes.

And now Ferris.

- Hi, I'm Madeleine.

- Hello, I'm Emily.

- Hi, I'm Jake.

- Hi, I'm Miles.

- And in the audience we have Ferris High School's alternate Aniketh Parlapalli and their coach Mara Bischoff.

Up first, the tossup round.

We provided teams with rules, and there's a copy for those watching at home online at KSPS.

In a nutshell, I'll ask a toss up question to all players.

Only after I finish can a student buzz in with an answer.

The right answer means the winning team gets a bonus question.

You're encouraged to collaborate with your teammates only on the bonus questions.

Teams, are you ready?

Let's begin.

In the Roman Republic, much of the struggle involved two social classes.

What are they?

(buzzer ringing) Bridger.

- Patricians and Plebs.

- That is correct.

And here's your bonus.

What socioeconomic class constitutes the Roman group known as the Plebians?

(tense music) - Lower class.

- That is correct.

And here's your tossup from Dennis Patchin, KHQSWX Sports Director.

- Thomas Jefferson was influenced by political thinker John Locke.

What two key ideas shaped Jefferson's thinking?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) - Natural rights, social contract theory.

Okay, here's your next toss up.

Name three of the four fundamental factors of the free enterprise system.

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Private ownership, individual initiative, profit, competition, limited or no government interference in the economy.

Who was the first White House Chief of Staff named by Harry Truman in 1946?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) John Steelman.

True or false?

Throughout history there have been only two political parties in the United States at any given time.

(buzzer ringing) Ike - False.

- That is correct and here's your bonus.

True or false?

Third parties have had no influence in U.S. politics.

(tense music) - False.

- That is correct.

And here's your toss up, both teams.

What is the purpose of the Federal Election Commission?

(buzzer ringing) Sylvie.

- To manage elections?

- That is incorrect.

To enforce all federal law dealing with campaign finance.

Name two fascist countries that fought in World War II.

(buzzer ringing) Ike.

- Nazi Germany and Italy.

- That is correct.

The U.S. attorney from Eastern Washington, Vanessa Waldref, has your bonus question.

- Which two amendments of the United States Constitution prohibit unreasonable search and seizure and protect against being tried twice for the same crime?

(tense music) - Five and eight.

- That is incorrect.

The fourth and the fifth.

Here's your toss up, both teams.

Where did the second Continental Congress meet starting in May of 1775?

(buzzer ringing) Madeleine.

- Philadelphia.

- Correct.

And here's your bonus.

Article one, section nine of the U.S. Constitution says that no actions can be made illegal after the actions have been completed.

What is this called?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Ex post facto.

Toss up coming up for both teams.

Who is Washington State's Attorney General?

(buzzer ringing) Bridger.

(tense music) (students snickering) - Ah, I forgot.

I'm sorry.

(snickering) - Bob Ferguson.

And here's your next tossup.

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

(buzzer ringing) Sylvie.

- Slander.

- That is incorrect.

Libel, libel.

Here's your next tossup.

How many votes does each state have in the electoral college?

(buzzer ringing) Emily.

- Same number of Congress people they have.

- That is correct.

And here's your bonus.

Which U.S. president formed the Bull Moose Progressive Party?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Theodore Roosevelt.

Here's the toss up, both teams.

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits laws establishing religion, prohibiting free exercise of religion, and abridging freedom of speech and the press?

(buzzer ringing) Madeline.

- The first.

- That is correct.

And here's your bonus.

What is symbolic speech?

(tense music) - Bans or actions by an individual.

- That is correct.

Did John Locke extend the belief of basic natural rights to all people?

(buzzer ringing) Sylvie.

- No.

- That is correct.

And here's your bonus.

Are a democracy and a free enterprise system the same thing?

- (whispering) No.

(buzzer ringing) - No.

- That is correct.

And here is your tossup.

Take a look at the in-studio monitor.

That's the current Biden White House Chief of Staff.

What's his name?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Jeff Zientz.

Jeff Zientz.

(bell ringing) And that was your last question.

Well done, teams!

We'll be back in a moment.

Get to know the players and play the head-to-head round.

(group clapping) - [Announcer] Here's important news for high school seniors.

We all know the legal age to vote is 18, but in Washington state, 17 year olds can vote in the August primary as long as they'll turn 18 before the November general election.

High school seniors, that means if you're 18, or will turn 18 before the November election, it's time to register to vote.

Only registered voters receive a ballot.

To learn more, visit voteWA.gov.

(Happy Birthday song playing) (triumphant music) - First, we'd like to give you an update on the scoring.

And it's Lewis and Clark 70 and Ferris 40.

We'd also like to take a moment to get to know our players a little bit better and their schools a little bit better.

We've asked each school to produce a video for Civics Bowl, and here's Ferris's.

(bright music) (bright music) - Welcome to the Spokane South Hill, where Joel E. Ferris High School has been educating students for more than 60 years.

- Our sports teams excel in their scarlet and silver in training facilities like these.

- When the Saxons win, we ring the victory bell.

- Not only is Ferris home to an amazing foreign language department, but we have the district Newcomer Center, meaning we are the English language development hub for the district.

- Ferris is known for its performing arts department, which has won awards on the city, state and national level.

- Ferris has many types of classes for students with many interests.

- In Ferris, We believe in our school motto.

- I belong.

You belong.

- [Group] We belong.

- [Group] Go, Ferris Civics!

(all cheering) - Nice job, Ferris.

Well done.

(audience clapping) So now like to hear from each of you.

What's your class year and your favorite hobby?

Starting with Madeleine.

- I'm a senior this year and I play the cello, so I'll have to say that's my favorite hobby.

- Nice.

Emily.

- I'm a senior and I'm a debater.

- Jake.

- I'm a senior and I like to play basketball.

- Miles.

- I'm a senior and I play the saxophone.

That's probably my favorite hobby.

- Excellent, thank you.

Thank you very much.

And now here's an inside peek at Lewis and Clark.

- [Sylvie] Lewis and Clark, home of the Tigers.

Central High School, the original LC, was Spokane's first high school, built in 1883.

Through a series of name changes and three buildings, the most current iteration opened on April 14th, 1912 on the corner of Fourth and Stevens.

The Teddy Roosevelt laid the cornerstone on the northwest corner of the building.

Since then, Lewis and Clark has nurtured a tradition of academic, artistic, musical and athletic success for over a century.

It's also home to about 1,700 students, representing 31 different language backgrounds.

Its performing arts and theater groups are among the best, and LC offers a wide variety of advanced placement and dual enrollment opportunities, opening the door for graduates to go off to great places.

- Lewis and Clark is known for its historic and beautiful theater.

- And it has the only organ in the Civics building this side of the Missouri.

(organ music) - It also has a pretty amazing art collection, valued at over a million dollars.

(gentle music) - It's clock tower has four faces, run by his original mechanism.

(gentle music) - [Sylvie] Lewis and Clark is a treasure of history that continues to blend the old with the new and prepares its Tigers for whatever comes next.

(group clapping) - Nicely done.

Thank you Lewis and Clark, great video.

And players, same question to you.

What's your class year and what are your hobbies when you're not busy doing homework?

- I am a sophomore and I play trombone.

- Bridger?

- I'm a senior and I wrestle.

- Sylvie?

- I'm a senior and I play trumpet.

- And Dashiell?

- I'm a junior, I'm a jazz musician and mountain bike racer.

- Excellent!

Thank you all for being here.

We're gonna get back to the match with the head-to-head round coming up next.

But first, a thank you to the Spokane branch of the League of Women Voters.

Their volunteers prepared hundreds of questions for this competition.

We couldn't do this without them.

Thank you for your hard work.

Coming up, the head to head round.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) - [Announcer] Here's the answer to last week's question.

You might lead an historic expedition, but that doesn't mean people will spell your name right.

Clark County Washington was named after William Clark, the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

In 1925, the state legislature removed the E from Clarke, correcting a mistake on the books since 1854.

(upbeat music) - It's time for the head to head round!

Again, we've got the rules online so you can follow along.

Here's a quick look at them.

You still need to wait until I finish asking the question before you buzz in.

Each right answer is worth 10 points.

And players cannot work together to find the answer.

Are you ready?

(tense music) Let's go.

In 1941, President Roosevelt gave a speech in which he identified four freedoms.

What are the four freedoms?

(tense music) (buzzer beeping) - Speech, protest and assembly.

- That is incorrect.

- Religion, speech, assembly, and the press.

- Incorrect.

Freedom of speech, religion, want, and fear.

Next.

The Fifth Amendment states that no person can be charged with a capital or otherwise infamous crime except by a grand jury.

This is the law in all but two states and Washington D.C. Why is this?

(tense music) (timer beeping) Because the Bill of Rights restricts the federal government only, not states.

Is seditious speech protected by the First Amendment?

(buzzer beeping) - No.

- That is correct!

Next.

The third and fourth amendments forbid two practices commonly engaged in by the British and that angered colonists.

What practices were these?

(buzzer beeping) - Quartering in homes.

(tense music) - And?

- I can't think of the second one.

(tense music) - Okay.

- Quartering soldiers during war time and, no, can't remember the other.

- The other was writs of assistance, which were blanket search warrants that allowed customs officials to enter people's homes.

What is the difference between a police search of your car and of a police search in the contents of your cell phone?

(buzzer beeping) - The car, it could be visible so they have evidence to go and search it, while the cell phone is usually locked, so it's more private.

- That's correct.

Next.

When the constitution went into effect, the right to vote was limited to what group of people?

(buzzer beeping) Yes.

- White landowners.

- That is correct.

What was the famous civil rights speech given at the 1963 March on Washington?

(buzzer beeping) - I have a dream.

- That is correct.

Next.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 stated that all voter qualifications must be applied the same way to every individual.

True or false?

(buzzer beeping) - True.

- That is correct.

Voter turnout is much higher in European countries than in the United States.

True or false?

(buzzer beeping) - True.

- That is correct.

Article two, section one of the U.S. Constitution is known as the vesting clause.

In whom is executive power vested?

(buzzer beeping) Yes.

- The President of the United States.

- That is correct.

Next.

Who can propose an initiative or referendum?

(buzzer beeping) - A new congressman.

- That is incorrect.

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Any registered voter.

What is it called when a town, village, or city creates a local unit of government?

(tense music) (timer beeping) Municipal corporation.

And that is the last one.

So, we are done now with the head-to-head round, but don't go anywhere.

Up next, the students face off in the category round.

Everything from name that president to civil rights laws.

See you soon.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) Welcome back!

In just a few minutes, we'll have a chance for viewers to answer a civics question for some KSPS bling.

But first, a correction in our score.

In the head-to-head round, Lewis and Clark answered a question incorrectly, and so we've reduced their score by 10 points.

The score is now Lewis and Clark 100 and Ferris 70.

Now it's time for the category round.

In this round, teams will answer questions from the following categories.

Basic Concepts of Government, Congress In Session, Civil Rights Law, Name That President, and Justice For All.

Teams will alternate choosing a category, but you can't jump ahead from a 10 point question to one of higher value.

And this time, points will be deducted for wrong answers.

Again, these rules are online and the student teams received them last Fall.

They can decline to answer a question, that's a way to make sure you don't lose points, and you can toss the question to the other team.

They have to answer, but a team can only pass three times.

We start with Ferris.

Pick your category.

- [Emily] Basic Concepts of Government, please.

- What does due process mean?

(tense music) - It means you have to have a fair legal proceeding or trial before you're deprived of your rights by the government.

- That is correct.

- [Sylvie] Name That President, please.

- Name That President for 10.

Which United States President urged passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

(tense music) - Lyndon B. Johnson.

- That is correct.

Ferris.

- [Emily] Basic Concepts of Government.

- Basic concepts for 15.

What are the basic principles on which all state constitutions are based?

(tense music) - Federalism in the U.S. Constitution.

- Would be incorrect.

Popular sovereignty, limited government.

And over to LC.

- Justice For All for 10, please.

- Justice For All for 10.

Which branch of government sets the number of Associate Justices, and thus, the size of the Supreme Court?

(tense music) - The Legislative.

- That is correct.

Ferris.

- [Emily] Civil Rights Laws, please.

- Long ago, there used to be a thing called a public telephone booth from which people could make private phone calls.

Could information obtained by police wiretaps of a phone booth be used as evidence in a criminal trial?

(tense music) - Yes.

- That is correct.

Okay.

- Justice For All for 15, please.

- Justice For All for 15.

Why does the Sixth Amendment state trials must be public?

(tense music) - To prevent secret trials.

To prevent the government from holding secret trials.

- That is incorrect.

A public trial helps ensure a fair trial.

Ferris.

- [Emily] Congress In Session for 10, please.

- Congress In Session for 10.

When is the start and the end of a government fiscal year?

- Decline.

- Okay, the 12 months began on October 1st and end on September 30th.

- Basic Concepts of Government for 20, please.

- The next question is from Judy Woodruff of the PBS News Hour.

- The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the U.S. Constitution.

What are these words?

- We the people.

- That is correct.

Ferris.

- Civil Rights Laws for 15, please.

- In the 1960s, Spokane attorney Carl Maxey and real estate agent James Black squared off in a series of debates regarding legislation that could hold realtors legally responsible for not showing or selling certain homes to African Americans.

Which Civil Rights Act addressed this real estate issue?

- Civil Rights Act of 1964.

- That is incorrect.

1968.

- Basic Concepts of Government for 25, please.

- What is popular sovereignty?

- Right to govern ultimately rests with the people.

- That is correct.

- Basic Concepts of Government for 30, please.

- Basic Concepts of Government for 30.

Which English political theorists put forth the notion all men had basic natural rights like life, liberty, and property?

- John Locke.

- That is correct.

And that category is closed.

- Name That President for 15, please.

- Name That President for 15.

Under Article two, Section three of the Constitution, only the President may call Congress into special session, which President called the most recent special session of Congress?

(tense music) - Decline.

- Harry Truman.

Ferris.

- Civil Rights Laws for 20, please.

- Civil Rights Laws for 20.

Which civil rights law created the US Commission on Civil Rights?

- Decline.

- Decline it is.

The Civil Rights Act of 1957, by the way.

- Justice For All for 20, please.

- Justice For All for 20. Who explained individual freedom this way?

The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins.

- Decline, please.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said that.

Ferris.

- Justice For All for 25, please.

- Justice For All for 25.

This question is from US Attorney for the District of Eastern Washington, Vanessa Waldref.

- Federal grand juries are comprised of between 16 and 23 grand jurors.

How many grand jurors are required for a grand jury to issue a true bill or an indictment?

- Toss.

(tense music) - Two thirds.

- That would be incorrect.

12 is the is the answer.

12 is the answer.

- Justice For All for 30, please.

- Justice For All for 30.

And here's your video.

- For a person to be convicted of a federal crime, a jury must be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant's guilt.

What standard of proof applies for a grand jury to return an indictment?

- More likely than not.

- That is incorrect.

That would be probable cause.

Probable cause.

(bell ringing) And that wraps it up.

And we will be back for the final round, the lightning round, right after this.

(upbeat music) (group clapping) (upbeat music) - [Announcer] Which president was buried under a willow tree he planted himself, taken from a slip of a willow at the grave of Napoleon on the island of St. Helena?

A, Calvin Coolidge.

B, Ulysses S Grant.

C, John Tyler.

D, Andrew Johnson.

Do you know the answer?

Scan this QR code or head to ksps.org/civicsbowl to submit your answer.

You'll be entered in a drawing to win a prize.

The deadline to enter is Monday at noon.

We'll notify the winner and give the right answer next week on Civics Bowl.

(upbeat music) - We're just one round away from learning who will be the first to advance to the Civics Bowl Tournament this season.

In the lightning round, we'll put 90 seconds on the clock.

The idea is to answer as many of these 20 point questions as you can in that time.

No conferring, and get ready to go.

Let's get a final check of the score.

Lewis and Clark 95, Ferris 90.

Teams, are you ready?

Here we go.

Opposition to war is protected by which amendment?

(buzzer ringing) Dashiell.

- The first amendment.

- That is correct.

Which elected official is responsible for maintaining records on all court proceedings in Spokane County?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) The Spokane County Clerk.

How many sessions are there in each congressional term?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Two.

How large was the House of Representatives before the first census could be taken in 1790?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) 65 seats.

The US Senate has two executive powers.

Name them.

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Confirmation or rejection of appointments, acceptance or rejection of treaties.

What is the practice that allows the government to take private property for public use upon payment of just compensation called?

(buzzer ringing) Emily.

- Eminent domain.

- That is correct.

What requires the government to inform anyone jailed for a crime of the charges against them?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Writ of habeas corpus.

Trial for all crimes, with one exception, must be by jury.

What is the exception to this rule according to the Article three, Section two of the US Constitution?

(tense music) (timer buzzing) Impeachment.

In a federal criminal case in the United States, who is always the plaintiff?

(buzzer ringing) Miles.

- United States.

- That is correct.

The 20th Amendment to the US Constitution established Inauguration Day for the President.

(bell ringing) And that is the end.

And....(chuckling).

(group whispering excitedly) - Nice job everybody.

Well done.

(group clapping) Taking a look at the final score now.

Lewis and Clark 115 and Ferris 130.

That means Ferris will advance to face the winner of match five between the Community School and Ridgeline.

And we hope you'll join us next week as we inch closer to seeing who will bring home the trophy.

We hope you enjoy playing along at home.

See you next week.

(group clapping) Well done, well done.

- [Announcer] The Civics Bowl is made possible by Eastern Washington University, the Avista Foundation, the League of Women Voters of the Spokane area and of Washington, and by viewers like you.

(screen buzzing) If you are a regional school interested in taking part in Civics Bowl next year, we wanna know.

Go to ksps.org/civicsbowl to fill out our online contact form.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music)