They came, they saw, they conquered history and geography—the History Bee and U.S. Geography Olympiad, that is. Students battled through qualifying exams in order to compete in local and regional competitions, organized by Columbia River High School teacher Dave Douglas. The following VPS students then qualified for the National History Bee and/or National Geography Olympiad, both held in Chicago, Illinois, in June 2016.

Eisenhower Elementary School

history bee, eisenhower, elementary

From left: Satchel Baskette and Oliver Konez celebrate after the local History Bee competition.

  • Satchel Baskette (National History Bee qualifier)
  • Isabelle Haskin (National History Bee and National Geography Olympiad qualifier)
  • Oliver Konez (National History Bee qualifier)
  • Dylan Kopitzke (National History Bee and National Geography Olympiad qualifier)

Their teacher is Jan Keenan.

Felida Elementary School

  • Christopher McManus (National Geography Olympiad qualifier)

His teacher is Meagan Graves.

Lake Shore Elementary School

  • Kegan Davenport (National History Bee qualifier)
  • Liam Morrisey (National History Bee qualifier)

Their teacher is Debbie Mitts.

Discovery Middle School

  • Eli Pugsley (National History Bee and National Geography Olympiad qualifier)

His teacher is Melinda Johnson.

Gaiser Middle School

  • Allison Underland (National History Bee and National Geography Olympiad qualifier)

Her teacher is Erika Prats.

Jason Lee Middle School

  • Andrew Douglas (National History Bee qualifier)

His teacher is Cheryl Miller.

McLoughlin Middle School

  • Spencer Wrast (National History Bee and National Geography Olympiad qualifier)

His teacher is Monica Hughey.

Vancouver Home Connection

  • Dennis Balan (National History Bee and National Geography Olympiad qualifier)
  • Ryan Welch (National History Bee and National Geography Olympiad qualifier)

Their teacher is Dani Ramirez.