History Bee

Q & A with Quade about the National History Bee

How did you learn about The Who Was History Bee?

I learned about the Who Was? History Bee when I was at a bookstore. I saw a slip of paper about it. At first, I shared the paper with a friend who I thought would be great at the Bee. He said I should too. I thought it would be fun to try it out. My family decided to homeschool for one year and and mom mom said I could pick a passion project. I really like The Who Was? books, so I picked this project. Its cool that my mom kept the piece of paper we first saw together in August 2019.

How did you study? What Was Your Goal?

I studied by reading the book, then doing a page about that person, and sometimes we would watch video about that person. I loved the music books like Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Dolly Parton and Bono because I really enjoyed listening to the music too. I did it for 10 months overall. It was a very enjoyable project.

My goal was to read every Who Was? book, and hopefully be the first Who Was? History Bee champion.

Did you read all of the books ?

I read a lot of them. Some more than once. There are so many. I have maybe 10 left including all of the new books that have come out this year. Its sad that the library closed during COVID. The librarians always have the books ready for me and test me with trivia.

What was the school bee like?

The school bee was fun, because I got to share trivia with my friends. We had so much fun that even after I won the final round, we kept answering all of the questions.

The proctored exam was very stressful. You don't know what the questions are, you just hope you studied hard enough. I took many timed practice exams using questions from The Who Was HQ and the Who Was App and writing essays. My hand hurts when I write so I was nervous most about that.

To start, I thought just trying was the most important thing. After the proctored exam I was so excited because I did my best and was sure of my answers.

Who did you write about?

I wrote about a personal favorite, Mother Teresa. I think she's special because of what she did for the poor people of Calcutta and all over the World. She is a great example of the kind of person I want to be like when I am older.

Which is your favorite Who Was title?

I have multiple favorites. Mother Teresa, Jesus, Milton Bradley, Roberto Clemente, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, J.R.R. Tolkien, Pope Francis, Jeff Kinney, Alexander the Great, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Bono, Jane Goodall and Ernest Shackleton.

I have a whole list of new Who Was? books I hope they make. The top of my list would be Junipero Sera, Catherine the Great, Marquis de Lafayette, Cleopatra, C.S.Lewis, Homer, Lou Gehrig, Beethoven, Elon Musk, and Rick Riordan.

If you could meet one of the Who Was people who would it be?

Great question. This is a hard one. Probably Mother Teresa.

If I could meet one of the Who Is ? people it would be Stevie Wonder, Pope Francis, Bono, or Bruce Springsteen.

How would you feel about being a co-winner?

It would feel exhilarating to be a co-champion. It would be awesome to share that opportunity with other kids. It can be stressful to be the first at something, but to share that, it can make you feel good.

What would you do with the prize money?

I would like to donate some of the funds to World Vision to help children in other countries with school books. I would also like to give some to United Through Reading. UTR means a lot to me because my Pop volunteered for them, before he died. My other grandpa served in the Navy for a long time. I know that UTR makes a big difference with reading and military families who can't be together.

What advice would you give to kids studying for the next bee?

I have a quote on my wall that says " Do the work others aren't willing to do, and you'll get the things others will never had." I would tell new kids to just keep reading and hard work really does pay off.

What is next for you?

I love competition, so I will work hard to grow as a student athlete. I would love the opportunity to play for the USA baseball youth team. It would be fun to make a business that helps others or volunteer in my community. Oh, and I want to continue to share my ideas about history and life in a fun and creative way. I am super interested in journalism too, so maybe I will be a Kid Reporter for the national press corps. I would love to interview people making history today.

Who is Quade?

Student Athlete, Youth Reporter, Book Critic, Neurodiversity Advocate