Local students compete in national history competition

CLARK COUNTY — Vancouver Public Schools sent six students to the National Championships of the Elementary and Middle School History Bee on June 1-4 in Atlanta. The students competed in the Elementary (fourth to sixth grade), Seventh and Eighth Grade divisions. Each division features approximately 350 of the top qualifying students from around the country. Each student participated in four oral buzzer rounds and one written round. The Vancouver students qualified in the regional championships held at Columbia River High School in March. Andrew Douglas of Jason Lee Middle School earned a second place in the Citizenship Bee, with only civics and U.S. History questions, and advanced to the quarter-finals in the main competition. The local students competing were Douglas; Shaylin Murphy and Josh Wuethrich, both of Eisenhower Elementary School; Matthew McRae and Tim Puruckherr of Felida Elementary School; and Allison Underland of Gaiser Middle School.