Tobi Marcus’s allergies meant he could not have a family pet that meowed or barked.
So, the Legacy Traditional School eighth grader and his little brothers made an appeal for one that clucked.
That choice helped Tobi become Southern Arizona’s Civics Bee champion last weekend.
Tobi constructed a chicken coop, cared for the chickens, fed his family and some neighbors. Through poultry farming, he also built civics skills.
He documented what he learned in an essay that was one of 20 middle school compositions selected for the Southern Arizona bee sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and put on by The Chamber of Southern Arizona.
“Students develop virtues like responsibility, self-reliance, and respect for others through caring for animals, working in teams and contributing to the community,” Tobi wrote. “Activities like selling eggs or participating in public events teach accountability, honesty and civic-mindedness.”
After two rounds of multiple-choice questions, five middle schoolers advanced to the final round where each student summarized their essay and then answered questions about it from a three-judge panel.
Tobi led all competitors with 17 of 20 correct multiple-choice answers. Then, he connected the pet chickens, Hailey, Aria and Hurricane, to civics.
“By empowering youth to take initiative, make decisions and serve their neighbors, the program fosters active citizenship, strengthens community bonds and encourages young people to contribute meaningfully to the common good, reflecting the ideals upon which our country was founded,” his essay said.
When the competition was over, Tobi, Jack Johnston and Arianna Deras, both of Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, advanced to the state bee in Phoenix next month.
“I was an eighth-grade social studies teacher for two years and one of the biggest struggles was convincing the kids this matters. You were hoping to connect that philosophical book knowledge to the process,” said bee judge T.J. Castro, a teacher at Amphitheater Middle School. “To see them build the connection to themselves, finding that passion with it and understanding, like how does it affect you and your community? These kids did that.”
Here are four things to know about Tobi as he ends his school year this week:
• He’s been here before. Tobi advanced to the regional bee in his previous two years in middle school. On his final attempt, he used the provided study guide over the last couple of months. “I got up at 7 a.m. today to study and it’s a Saturday,” he said. “And I got out of school early yesterday to come home and study.”
• Pet chickens are a civics lesson. “I realized that people could learn a lot of civic virtues from raising chickens,” Tobi said. “Responsibility because you have to feed them. You have to take care of them. You have to give them water, especially in the summer when it gets really hot. And then the donation too, for the neighbors.”
• His goal is Washington, D.C., but first, Paris. The National Civics Bee is next fall, and Tobi says that’s his goal. Before that, the Marcus family heads to Paris for summer vacation. “We want them to learn other cultures and expose them,” mom Toyin Marcus said.
• Next stop, University High School. Tobi will make the move from his Northwest side charter school to high school next semester at UHS in the Tucson Unified School District. He says he’s most looking forward to his favorite subject: math. As a freshman, he tested into pre-calculus, a class typically taken by high school juniors. He also aims to play basketball for the Rangers.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
