World History | britishschoolofbostonblog

For Year 8 student Ilya Rudyak, a plane to Atlanta, GA this weekend will feature not an in-flight movie or a flip through Skymall, but a quick review of World War I, World War II and other major historical events.

“I think I know World War II the best,” he said Tuesday, discussing his study plans as he prepares to compete in the middle school National History Bee this Saturday.

Ilya and Year 9 student Tomas Navarro both qualified to complete in the National History Bee at a regional competition on April 16.

They and BSB students Michael Gankin and Sebastian Eklund completed at Melrose Middle school against nearly 70 other students from across Massachusetts.

Tomas elected not to attend the National History Bee in Atlanta this weekend, but Ilya will be there to represent BSB.

And while he said he does not plan on spending hours preparing for the competition- having done well in the regional competition with little preparation outside of classroom learning- he is looking forward to the experience.

“I’m excited to go to Atlanta,” he said. “I think it will be fun.”

The competition will focus on U.S. history and world history from the last 5,000 years.

Ilya will compete against students from around the U.S. to win a $5,000 scholarship. In addition to the competition, students who qualify for the finals are invited to take part in “The Great History Hunt,” part-scavenger hunt and part-social gathering that gives participants the opportunity to win prizes and meet other history-lovers from all over the country!

Congratulations to Tomas and Ilya, and good luck to Ilya in the competition!

Two British School of Boston middle school students were selected Tuesday to represent the school in the National History Bee, held in Atlanta, GA in June.

Four BSB middle school students competed this week at Melrose Middle School in the Massachusetts Regional Finals for the bee. BSB students Ilya Rudyak and Tomas Navarro were selected to move on the national competition.

Ilya, a Year 8 student, said the qualifying bee on Tuesday was “challenging and intense.”

“You could almost hear the hearts of the competitors beating,” he said.

BSB students Michael Gankin and Sebastian Eklund joined Ilya and Tomas in competing at the History Bee Tuesday. The four students were selected to represent the school after getting the top scores in the school’s inter-mural history competition in January.

They sat a regional qualifying exam and received scores high enough to compete in the regional final Tuesday against nearly 70 other students from schools across the state.

Four rounds of competition were held at the regional finals, and students were questioned on U.S. history and world history from the last 5,000 years.

A typical question was: “This ruler forced one of his followers, Seneca, to commit suicide for his role in the Pisonian Conspiracy, and a rebellion led by Vindex may have led him to commit suicide. What Roman emperor supposedly “fiddled while Rome burned” in 64 AD?” The answer, of course, is Nero!

Students had to be quick on the buzzer and sure of their answer as four incorrect interruptions would result in disqualification.

For Tomas, it was the format of the competition itself that was often the most challenging part of the event.

“It was tough,” he said. “Not only did you need to know the answer, you had to press the buzzer faster than the other seven players”.

Ilya and Tomas will now move on the National History Bee Finals being held in Atlanta, GA on June 6-8. The two will compete against students from around the U.S. to win a $5,000 scholarship.

In addition to the competition, students who qualify for the finals are invited to take part in “The Great History Hunt,” part-scavenger hunt and part-social gathering that gives participants the opportunity to win prizes and meet other history-lovers from all over the country!

And Ilya and Tomas are not alone in their history accomplishments. Next weekend, from April 25-27, BSB Year 13 student Nate Warner will represent the school at the National History Bowl finals in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations and good luck to all of our students!