A St. Michael's Parish Day School eighth-grader is gearing up to compete in the National History Bee Middle School Competition.
Read Wilder, 14, will be representing Arizona, going up against 32 competitors this weekend in Washington, D.C. Wilder will be tested on all facets of U.S. history (Colonial period to the present) and world history.
Wilder and his competitors will be vying for the grand prize - a $50,000 college scholarship.
The scholarship money isn't the only enticing piece of the contest.
Those who advance to the final round of the championship will be featured on the History Channel, which will televise the event.
Though the possibility of a television appearance adds pressure, Wilder is confident in his history knowledge. "I feel really good about it," Wilder said. "I don't read much fiction; a lot of it is just history. Also, I think I'm really good at world history, so I think I have an advantage there."
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Wilder's love of history goes back several years when as a first-grader he read a book about the American Revolution.
"I like learning about different cultures, different people and different events," Wilder said. "There's just so much out there."
When Wilder doesn't have his nose in a history book, he is serving as student council president at St. Michael's, 602 N. Wilmot Road.
He has also played the French horn for four years and has spent the last year teaching himself how to play the mandolin.
