Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Nitya Dubal, a third-grade student at Lamplighter Montessori School in Cordova, was named one of the 10 winners of the “Who Was?” history bee.
More than 25,000 students from 49 states participated in the inaugural bee, a national competition hosted by Penguin Young Readers. Designed for boys and girls in elementary schools across America, the bee tests the students’ knowledge of world leaders and events.
With the other winners chosen from grades 4 and 5, Nitya is the youngest winner of the 2020 competition.
“The person who influenced me the most was Mahatma Gandhi,” she wrote in her winning essay. “He believed in truth, peace, equality, and nonviolence. His nonviolence changed the lives of millions of Indians and united them.”
Nitya has a special connection to Gandhi. Her great-great-grandfather, a lawyer from London, actually joined Gandhi during one of his freedom demonstrations in India.
Nitya Dubal
To become a “Who Was?” history bee champion, each of the winning contestants took part in classroom-level and school-level competitions, took a written test to assess their history knowledge, and crafted an essay about their own historical hero.
Some of the other winners’ heroes included Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Theresa, Rachel Carson, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The ten finalists were initially slated to compete at the National History Bee Championship in New York City in May. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Penguin Young Readers decided to cancel the live championship and name all finalists winners.
“We are incredibly proud of the ten winners who shared their passion for history and poured so much time and work into the first Who Was? History Bee,” says Francesco Sedita, president and publisher of Penguin Workshop. “This honor comes at a time when we are witnessing history in the making. With heroes rising every day, it is more valuable than ever for young people to contemplate the past, and the remarkable individuals who have changed the world for the better.”
Nitya and her fellow champions will receive a $2,000 cash prize and a library of 50 Who Was? books, along with $500 to be used as a donation to a first-responder organization of her choice.
Her school is a winner, too, since it also receives a 50-book Who Was? library from Penguin.
For more information about the next “Who Was?” bee, which kicks off in September, visit WhoWasHistoryBee.com.