A Buena Vista middle school student on Tuesday represented Colorado in the first-ever National Civics Bee.

Joseph Drexler, a student from Darren Patterson Christian Academy, competed in the first two rounds of the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C., answering multiple-choice questions on history and democracy against competitors from across the country.

The top 10 competitors from the opening rounds advanced to the third round, during which the middle school students delivered civic-minded speeches.

Drexler had prepared a speech on student enthusiasm, but he did not advance to the round in which he would’ve presented it. He had presented on the same topic during his victory in the Colorado Civics Bee in May and honed his speech for the national competition with the help of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.

“We all must do our part to encourage meaningful, respectful debate on the important issues our communities are facing. Civics education is foundational to this understanding,” Weiser told The Denver Gazette in a statement after the competition. “That’s why I was proud to promote the National Civics Bee to kids across the state, and I’m especially proud of Joseph Drexler for representing Colorado so well today. Joseph and his fellow competitors show the hope and promise that young people are bringing as they help lead our country into the future.”

The speeches delivered by the middle school students included several topics, such as sustainable farming practices to reduce climate change, revitalizing downtown areas, and an open primary system to give voters more choices. After the speeches, the final five students advanced to a Jeopardy! style round of buzzing in and answering trivia questions.

Emily Brubaker, a middle school student from Alaska, won the inaugural national competition Tuesday, and was presented with a $100,000 scholarship. The second-place winner from Iowa took home $25,000 and the third-place winner from New Mexico won $15,000. The event was sponsored by the U.S Chamber of Commerce, The Civic Trust and the Daniels Fund.

Colorado was one of 40 states that held a civics bee this year, with the winners competing in the national competition. Organizers said they plan for the civics bee to be nationally televised by 2026, with all 50 states competing.

“I’ve spent most of my career in education and I believe that in addition to teaching kids reading, writing and arithmetic, we must also focus on nurturing future leaders and responsible citizens,” Hanna Skandera, CEO of the Daniels Fund, said on stage before announcing the winners of the competition. “I’m preaching to the choir here, but I really believe that it’s so crucial that we instill our core civic values that empower individuals to actively participate in our Democratic Republic.”