US History Bee
| US History Bee | |
|---|---|
| Genre | History competition |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | various |
| Inaugurated | 2013 |
| Website | www.ushistorybee.org |
The US History Bee is an academic quiz competition for primary and secondary students. Distinct from the National History Bee and Bowl, the US History Bee tests students' knowledge of American history.[1] It debuted during the 2013-2014 competition season and is held annually at the same site as the standard NHBB High School National Championships on the Friday prior to the other events.[2] Like with other NHBB tournaments, the US History Bee was held virtually in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Format of Competition[edit]
Prior to 2019, the US History Bee was divided into two divisions: Varsity and Junior Varsity. High schoolers in 11th and 12th grade competed in the Varsity division, while any student in 10th grade or below was eligible for the JV division. Though no minimum age limit for participants, there was a maximum cap at 20 years of age.
In the 2019-2020 season, when parent organization International Academic Competitions took over management of the Middle School National Championships from Academic Competition Enterprises (ACE), middle (6th, 7th, 8th grade) and elementary school divisions were added to the US History Bee.[4]
Regionals[edit]
National Qualifying Exam[edit]
The Regionals level of competition consists of a 20-minute National Qualifying Exam, containing 50 multiple choice questions on a variety of American history topics. Students earn 2 points for a correct answer, 0 points for a blank answer, and lose 1 point for an incorrect answer. The exam is the same for both the Varsity and JV divisions; however, the National Median Score that determines eligibility for Nationals differs between divisions, with JV having a lower median than Varsity. Participants scoring at or above the National Median Score qualify for the National Championships. There are three versions of the National Qualifying Exam: Set A, Set B, Set C. Students can take one or all of these versions one time, essentially giving them three chances to qualify for Nationals.[5]
US History Bee League[edit]
The US History Bee League debuted in the 2020-2021 competition season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the National Qualifying Exam, the Leagues are buzzer-based, relying on Zoom and an online buzzer system developed by IAC. The Leagues are organized into nationwide pools with 100 students per division. If the number of participants exceeds 100, the pools divide into geographic sub-divisions.
Testing Set C, Set B, and Set A questions respectively, the Fall League, the Winter League, and the Spring League occur over five-week-long periods. In each of the first three weeks, competitors are guaranteed 30 preliminary questions. The playoffs, consisting of Semifinals and Finals, occur during weeks 4 and 5. The top 60% of competitors in each division qualify for the National Championships.[6]
Nationals[edit]
At the National Championships, all students compete in a minimum of 6 buzzer-based rounds with 35 questions each. The top students in the Varsity and JV divisions advance to the playoff rounds.[7]
The Varsity playoffs consist of Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals. Quarterfinals involves 4 rooms of 8 players each, with the top 3 per room advancing. Semifinals consists of 2 rooms of 6 players, with the top 2 per room advancing. Finally, the 4 Varsity finalists compete against each other on 25 tossup questions for the title of US History Bee Champion. For all three rounds, a student can no longer answer questions after they have amassed 40 points; they are effectively "out" for the round and will advance to the next level of playoffs.
The rules of the Varsity playoffs are identical to the JV division, with the notable exception that JV does not include Quarterfinals. JV competitors play in 4 rooms of 8 players for Semifinals, with 8 finalists vying for the championship.[8]
Any student that reaches the playoffs is awarded a plaque, while champions receive trophies and discounted fees for the biennial International History Olympiad.[9]
Tested Topics[edit]
The distribution of questions for the National Qualifying Exam, US History Bee Leagues, and National Championships is as follows:
| Percentage | Era |
|---|---|
| 15% | US History until 1783 |
| 10% | US History from 1784 to 1815 |
| 15% | US History from 1816 to 1865 |
| 15% | US History from 1866 to 1918 |
| 15% | US History from 1919 to 1945 |
| 15% | US History from 1946 to 1992 |
| 15% | US History from 1993-Present |
The distribution of overarching themes of American history for the aforementioned competitions is listed below:
| Percentage | Theme |
|---|---|
| 10% | Military History |
| 25% | Social and Cultural History |
| 35% | Political History |
| 10% | Economic History |
| 5% | Historiography |
| 5% | Sports & Entertainment History |
| 10% | Miscellaneous |
There is a great degree of overlap between the Advanced Placement (AP) US History curriculum and the tested topics of the US History Bee. While many high school students find this course beneficial to their preparation, others have performed equally well by self-studying and other means.[10]
As of 2020, International Academic Competitions has been expanding its question canon to include the social history of various groups throughout American history, particularly minorities and other underrepresented populations. The above distributions are expected to change slightly after the incorporation of this new canon.
US History Bee National Champions[11][edit]
Varsity Division[edit]
| Year | Champion | School | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Bruce Lou | Saratoga High School |  California
|
| 2015 | Bruce Lou | Saratoga High School | California
|
| 2016 | Cole Timmerwilke | Auburn High School |  Illinois
|
| 2017 | Jonathan Tran | Westview High School |  Oregon
|
| 2018 | Fred Zhang | Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology |  Virginia
|
| 2019 | Fred Zhang | Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology | Virginia
|
| 2020 | Walker Combs | George Washington High School |  West Virginia
|
Junior Varsity Division[12][edit]
| Year | Champion | School | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | John Connor | Eastern Washington Homeschool |  Washington
|
| 2016 | Jaya Alagar | Alagar Homeschool |  Pennsylvania
|
| 2017 | William Golden | James E. Taylor High School |  Texas
|
| 2018 | Govind Prabhakar | Adlai E. Stevenson High School | Illinois
|
| 2019 | Pedro Juan Orduz | Hunter College High School |  New York
|
| 2020 | Andrew Zeng | Hunter College High School | New York
|
Middle School Division[edit]
| Year | Champion | Grade | School | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Henry Yao | 8th Grade | BASIS Independent Silicon Valley | California
|
| 2020 | Arin Parsa | 7th Grade | History Scholars | California
|
| 2020 | Arnav Kolluru | 6th Grade | Maroa-Forsyth Middle School | Illinois
|
Elementary School Division[edit]
| Year | Champion | School | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Shravan Yoagentharan | Centennial Lane Elementary School |  Maryland
|
References[edit]
- ↑ "NHBB". HTHS Academic Team.
- ↑ "History Bee". North South Foundation Seattle Chapter.
- ↑ "US History Bee". US History Bee.
- ↑ "IAC Nationals: Middle & Elementary School Divisions".
- ↑ "NHBB: Alberquerque" (PDF).
- ↑ "Regionals Format". US History Bee. October 1, 2012.
- ↑ "IAC Nationals: US History Bee". International Academic Competitions National Championships.
- ↑ "Jefferson History Bowl team participates in History Bee and History Bowl nationals". TJ Today. April 27, 2016.
- ↑ "National Championships". US History Bee. August 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Quiz Bowl outsmarts competition at National History Bee and Bowl". Wooton's Common Sense. May 24, 2019.
- ↑ "Results". US History Bee. October 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Quadruplets' recognition". www.nationalmerit.org.
Category:2010 establishments in the United StatesCategory:International Academic Competitions
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