The board of the history honor society, Rho Kappa, was buzzing with excitement as they prepared for its first-ever history bowl. The event was inspired by the success of Mu Alpha Theta’s annual pi bee and was recommended by one of the Vice President senior Christopher Hernández.
The Rho Kappa board put on their thinking caps and curated a diverse array of history questions that would challenge even the savviest history enthusiasts. They had carefully curated a mix of easy, medium, and challenging questions covering a range of historical topics, from world history to the U.S. government.
The planning process involved securing the cafeteria venue, preparing the question set, lining up an impressive array of prizes, and providing people who came with food. Around 12 eager teams, each with three to five members, competed in the event, exceeding the organizers’ initial predictions.
One of the presidents, senior Karina García, inputs “we predicted the event would go great, but were surprised at how many people showed up to compete!”
The competition was fierce as the teams battled it out, each determined to prove their historical expertise whether it was for extra credit or for fun. Buzzer fingers were hovered, minds were racing, and the cafeteria was filled with the sound of rapid-fire answers and the occasional groan of disappointment. Every point counted, and the teams knew they had to bring their A-game if they wanted to win.
Junior Jonathan Alonzo who was in the top three comments, “[the first few rounds of this event were pretty organized] but, [as expected,] there were [still] some drawbacks. Overall, [it was] fun and very competitive.”
The winning team, “HOLA,” consisted of juniors Alexander Moyano, Hannah Ikner, Amanda Quíntea, and Lían Lee–some enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History, others in Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) U.S. History.
Moyano, who also previously won Mu Alpha Theta’s pi bee the day before, inputs, “I did not study [for the history bowl], I did not intend to win.” For him, history is an easier subject to know compared to trying to memorize 400 digits of pi.
The winning team got to choose between a Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, or Dunkin’ gift card. Ikner said that she had volunteered to purchase the gift cards for club hours, “so I basically just got my money back!”
At the heart of the Rho Kappa history bowl was a desire to ignite a passion for history in the participants.
“We hope [that] students learn more about history topics they haven’t learned yet, or if they have, that they can utilize everything they’ve learned and test their knowledge,” García exclaimed.
True to the board’s vision, the event proved to be a blend of academic challenge and fun. The thrill of competition and the chance to win enticing prizes created an atmosphere of friendly rivalry and engaged learning. After all, “I’m glad that it went well for Rho Kappa. I’m quite excited to see what they’ll do next year,” Alonzo feels.
