Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2015 - (Page 26)
Making History
My Journey to the
Inaugural International
History Olympiad
by Benji Chiu
T
he summer after fifth grade, I became interested in a History
Channel series chronicling the rise and fall of the Roman
Empire and other empires. As I watched Empires, I learned how battlefield strategy and engineering breakthroughs helped shape ancient
and medieval history. It inspired me to learn more about history, and
I began to watch more History Channel shows.
In seventh grade, I read about the National History Bee in my
school newsletter. The bee is similar to the TV show Jeopardy!,
except that the questions are all history related. To qualify for the
middle school bee, students take an online, 50-question multiple-choice test from home, on questions covering ancient history
to the modern world; those scoring in the top 50 percent qualify
for the regional bee.
I took the test and, in January, received an email informing me that
I had qualified for the regional bee. I prepared for the competition by
watching movies, such as Battle of the Bulge, about important historical
events and people, and by reading books, including Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. I
also continued to learn history at school.
Encouraging Results
In March, I competed against dozens
of other middle school students at the
Oregon Regional History Bee, held
at a local school in Portland. This
one-day buzzer-style competition features three preliminary rounds of 30 questions
followed by a championship round for the top 10
students. Questions are
structured as short paragraphs, with more difficult clues at the beginning
and easier clues toward the end. A student can buzz in at any
time while the question is being read, or for up to three seconds
afterward. Those scoring in the top 50 percent qualify for the
national competition.
I was seeded first after the preliminary rounds, and I scored
the first three points in the championship round before correctly
answering a question about the identity of the "Stolen Children"-
Australian Aboriginal children removed from their families by the
Australian government and church missions in the first half of the
20th century. With that, I won first place and advanced to the 2014
national competition in May in Atlanta, Georgia.
Approximately 500 middle school students competed at the
national bee, with the top 125 advancing to the playoffs after five
preliminary rounds. From there, only four would advance to the
finals, where the first to win eight points would be named national
champion. The questions at nationals had the same format as those
at regionals. They didn't seem harder to me, but that's probably
because I had learned more history as I continued my studying.
I came in third, a seventh grader behind two eighth graders. I was
encouraged by this result and felt I had a good chance of doing well
at nationals the following year.
A Winning Strategy
In eighth grade, I again won first place in the regional bee. While I
had several months to prepare for nationals, this time around I was
also studying for the National Science Bowl and the National Science Olympiad-with all three competitions taking place in May!
After traveling to Washington, DC, and Lincoln, Nebraska, for the
science tournaments, I flew to Louisville, Kentucky, for the 2015
National History Bee.
I found the five preliminary rounds easy, and I got off to a
good start in the championship round when I correctly answered
the first question, about President Cleveland's Supreme Court
nominee. Twenty questions into the round, I had seven points;
Nov/Dec 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2015
Big Picture
In My Own Words Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns
National Treasure Volunteering at the National Archives
Driving My Future, Exploring the Past The many rewards of genealogy
Past in Focus National History Day
People-Powered Movements Studying revolutions at Phillips Academy Andover
Hooked on History From paleontology to conservation science, four graduate students share their research
This is History My summer at Crow Canyon
The Benefits of Majoring in History
Making History My journey to the inaugural International History Olympiad
Historians in Training The Concord Review Summer Program
The Ultimate Game
In My Own Footsteps Putting my choreography in the spotlight
Selected Opportunities and Resources
Off the Shelf Review of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options Interview with archaeologist Inna Moore
One Step Ahead Be your own priority
Planning Ahead for College Choosing the best college for your major
Students Review: University of Washington
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games
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