By Austin Brown, news editor

Last Sunday junior Sydney Kightlinger competed in the National History Bee held in Arlington, Va. at the Crystal Gateway hotel. She placed 151 out of the 188 people in attendance. “It was really stressful, but it was a good experience overall,” said Kightlinger.

When she first walked into the Gateway hotel, she was awestruck. “It was really overwhelming the setup was in a big elegant ballroom,” she said. Considering the prestige of the event, all-in nerds were to be expected. “I do trivia recreationally while some of those kids devote their entire lives to just history trivia.” 

Kightlinger had no significant regrets, but will rather use the experience for future competitions . “In the first few rounds, I knew a lot of the questions, but I did not buzz in on some of the hints. In the later rounds, though, I started knocking them (the questions) out of the park,” said Kightlinger. She plans to go again if she qualifies at another regional event.

Yet, no matter how she does in the future competitions, she has already brought pride to many. “She definitely did not disgrace the family,” said Mrs. Hetrick, Saegertown Hi-Q coach.