Three middle school students from the Upper St. Clair School District were among the top competitors at the recent U.S. History Bee, National History Bee and National History Bowl. In individual competition, sixth grader Arjun Kairi was a semifinalist in the U.S. History Bee, and Arjun and seventh grader Raana Parchuri were quarterfinalists in the National History Bee. In the team competition, Arjun and classmate Bernard Huang advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2023 National History Bowl.
The events are part of the 2023 Middle School and Elementary National Championships, sponsored by the International Academic Competition. The U.S. History Bee was held June 1-3 and the National History Bee took place June 3-4 in Arlington, Va.
Other Upper St. Clair students competed in individual events at the national competition, including:
Bernard Huang, International Geography Bee & National History Bee – Grade 6
Shreyan Mali, International Geography Bee – Grade 6
Clara McLean, National History Bee – Grade 6
Avik Pandey, National Science Bee – Grade 6
The bees are buzzer-based quiz competitions for elementary, middle and high school-aged students throughout the United States. The competition is categorized by several grade-level divisions: Varsity, grades 11 and 12; Junior Varsity, grades 10 and younger; 8th Grade Division; 7th Grade Division; 6th Grade Division; and Elementary School Division, which includes all students in grade five and younger.
The 2023 Middle School and Elementary National Championships included the National History Bee, International Geography Bee, National Science Bee, U.S. Geography Championships, U.S. History Bee and the U.S. Academic Bee.
In addition, Avik Pandey performed well on the National Championship Exams in Physical Science and Earth Science – recording the eighth and seventh highest scores, respectively, among those participating.
Each exam consists of 75 multiple choice questions, which must be completed within 30 minutes. Students are ranked against other students in their age division, with the top three earning medals. No prior qualification is needed to take any of the exams.
