On Oct. 14, Fayetteville local Callie Tisdale represented North Carolina on the national stage at the National Civics Bee Championship in Washington, D.C. Tisdale competed against 51 other state and regional winners across the United States, delivered a brilliant performance and placed 15th overall. Tisdale’s journey to the national championship began locally at the Greater Fayetteville Area Chamber’s regional Civics Bee. Students entered the competition by submitting an essay addressing a public issue. Following winning the local contest, Tisdale moved on to the state competition, where she claimed first place for North Carolina. Her top finish secured her a spot at the national finals in D.C.
Tisdale selected human trafficking as the theme of her essay. Her awareness of this crisis grew from her mother, Karen Tisdale, who has a long history of volunteering with the Child Advocacy Center in Fayetteville. Over the years, Tisdale engaged in several public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the center. Throughout her research, Tisdale found a myriad of common misconceptions surrounding the issue. She noted that human trafficking is not always what it is portrayed in dramatized media; instead, it involves someone you may know, often occurring locally without even passing state lines.
“Before doing research, I used to think human trafficking usually involved people getting kidnapped by strangers in white vans, taken somewhere else, and held in a hostage situation,” Callie explained. “For me, it was really the false narrative a lot of us are given. That’s what you see on TV or on TikTok because it’s more dramatized, but the reality isn’t exactly like that.”
The preparation for the national championship required a dedicated analysis of history. After her state win, Tisdale engaged in hands-on work with three history teachers at her school. Each teacher focused on a different area of study. One covered Supreme Court Cases and judicial topics, another helped refine her presentation pitch and navigate the U.S. Constitution, and a third supplied an extensive overview of American history from pre-Revolutionary times to the Roaring Twenties. Outside of school, Tisdale studied a Quizlet set with 460 flashcards. She employed other resources like the popular YouTube educator, Heimler. When she isn’t studying government, Tisdale is deeply involved in performing arts. She has performed on stage in Cape Fear Regional Theatre productions like Matilda, highlighting how theatre allows actors to explore unlimited perspectives and measure live audience reactions.
Tisdale’s love of history is perfectly matched by her appreciation for English and writing. James Madison stands out as her favorite Founding Father through his intellectual depth and foundational work on the US Constitution, a document she describes as the ultimate rulebook. Maintaining a balance of a high school workload with competitive civics preparation was no small job. This required strict time management and prioritization. Tisdale’s history in theater and childhood pageants helped her conquer public speaking; when addressing students nervous about speaking in public, she offered very reassuring advice.
“Really, it’s about getting used to it and knowing that nobody in the audience is praying for your downfall. A lot of the time it can be intimidating... but nobody in the audience wants you to do badly or is picking apart everything you say. For the most part, people in the audience are trying to enjoy what you’re saying… So, it’s about remembering that the audience is on your side and doing it as much as you can,” she said.
As for civics, Callie has a strong belief that youth involvement is essential.
“I feel like a lot of people think kids shouldn’t know a lot about our government, but kids are some of the most important people to know about it because, in the future, we’re going to be the ones running the government,” she said.
Callie Tisdale has shown that she is more than ready for the future.

(Photo: Callie Tisdale represented North Carolina at the National Civic Bee on Oct. 14 after winning the regional and state bees. Tisdale joined 51 other students from across the US in Washington D.C. at the National Bee, where she placed 15th overall. Photo courtesy of Karen Tisdale)