TOWSON, MD. – For Catonsville Middle School seventh grader Teddy Plisko, a good knowledge of history is “something you can learn from as you go through life.” This weekend, he’ll learn if his knowledge of the past is enough to place him among the best student historians in the nation.
Teddy, 13, will compete June 1 in Atlanta as one of approximately 400 elementary and middle school students in the National History Bee. Sponsored by The History Channel, the national bee tests students’ expertise in a wide range of historical topics – “anything from recorded human history,” Teddy says.
Teddy is among about 20 regional champions representing Maryland, Washington, Virginia and West Virginia. He qualified for the national competition during a regional contest on April 28 in Bethesda.
“Honestly, I wasn’t convinced I would be here,” he says. “I tried (the bee) out on the school level just to see if I could do it.”
In fact, getting to Atlanta was a lesson in perseverance for Teddy. First, he had to compete in an intramural bee after school. The top four finishers there progressed to an online qualifying exam. Top scorers on the online test were invited to compete in the regional bee on April 23, with top scorers completing in the national bee.
For Teddy, the son of Marc and Joan Plisko of Catonsville, interest in history started young and evolved organically. “My father is into history, and that kind of rubbed off on me,” he says. “I have always been interested in it, and I just used all my collective knowledge to answer questions.”
In the bee, competitors must answer questions quickly by pressing buzzers. Teddy says he prepared for the Atlanta competition by reviewing history study guides and surfing the internet.
“History is important to know because, for world leaders who don’t study history, they end up making the same mistakes and getting overthrown,” Teddy says. “It’s just really cool to know what it was like a long time ago.”
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