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A Harpswell student will compete for a $100,000 scholarship at the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C., this October, as the state champion from Maine.
Marin Larsen, an eighth grader at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham, came out on top at the state finals at Colby College in Waterville on June 11, but she wasn’t the only Harpswell student on the podium. Ryan Coulon, a classmate and friend at Mt. Ararat, was runner-up.
The bee, for students in grades six through eight, encourages middle schoolers to engage in civics and contribute to their communities, according to the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, co-host of the state competition. The 2026 bee was the first at the state level in Maine.
The Harpswell students were urged to participate by Joanna Daley, a social studies teacher at the middle school.
Daley was thrilled to find out that the competition asked students to address an issue in their community. She told her students no idea was too small.
Daley guided five Mt. Ararat students to the competition, including three from Harpswell: Marin, Ryan, and fellow eighth grader Max Piccone.
The Civic Trust and the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce hosted the event. Mike Guarino, community engagement specialist at the chamber, applauded Daley’s efforts to engage her students.
For Max, Ryan, and Marin, the experience was a special one. They’ve been friends for years. “I’ve known Ryan since kindergarten,” Marin said, “and I’ve known Max since second grade.”
The bee asked students to write an essay envisioning a change that would make life better in their community. Solutions had to incorporate a “founding principle,” such as inalienable rights, and a “civic virtue,” such as responsibility.
Max’s project addressed littering. He suggested installing signs and asking local businesses to encourage recycling and picking up trash.
Ryan’s essay confronted speeding on Cundy’s Harbor Road, proposing traffic cameras as a deterrent.
Marin developed a plan to seek approval for one of several options under consideration to address maintenance needs in local schools. The plan would consolidate two elementary schools in Topsham into one new building, undertake major renovations to the Bowdoin and Harpswell schools, and perform repairs at the Bowdoinham school.
During the finals in June, Daley had a different problem to solve: stress management. Upon arriving, students were dismayed by the prospect of going on stage.
“We had a little group breathing session,” Daley said. The competition “was a little nerve-wracking and a little scary,” she said, but she commended her students for pushing through.
For the first two rounds, each student answered 10 multiple-choice questions before an audience. This narrowed a field of 20 down to five. The finalists then presented their original essays to a panel of judges, which picked three winners.
Marin and Ryan won prizes of $1,000 and $500, respectively.
Despite being competitive, the event fostered camaraderie among students from different areas.
“All the parents and the students got together after it was over and decided to go out to dinner together,” said Guarino, from the Chamber of Commerce. “It was really a special opportunity.”
The bee provided the students with fresh insights into civics. “It’s important to speak my mind when thinking about things I care about,” Marin said.
She will compete with fellow state champions in the National Civics Bee Championship in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14.
