History Knowledge Competition

Jointly reported by:
Victoria Hwang Jr1S(6)
Tan Qi Xuan Jr3Z(1)
Rosalind Chiang Fei Yang Sr3A

     On the 7^th of June 2021, Kuen Cheng History Club organized a history knowledge competition for students in both Junior Middle and Senior Middle years. The event began at 2pm sharp via the Zoom platform. The primary purpose was for students to achieve a better understanding of local and world historical events.

     The competition kicked off with Hui Xin Yi, the announcer, explaining the rules and regulations of the competition. Then, the 30-minute session to complete the 90 historical questions in a Google form started.

     The questions revolved around several topics including local history, Chinese history and Occident history. For local history, the questions included important incidents in the past as well as basic knowledge about the three races in Malaysia. It tested how much the students knew about our homeland. Apart from asking questions from the textbook, there were some questions based on current affairs as well. For instance, the name of the ship that was stuck at the Suez Canal. The questions covered a wide range of topics that were not too hard yet essential for students to know such as the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the 13th May incident that took place in Kuala Lumpur,1969, and the happenings of the very first Malayan Emergency, which occurred from 1948 to 1960. Questions about significant historical figures were also included, such as legendary artists Vincent van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci, or the great politician Mahatma Gandhi.

     Now let’s take a look at the behind the scenes. President of Kuen Cheng History Club, Chen Xin Yee mentioned that they initially did not have any plans for the online carnival this year as it would be a hassle involving students from every level and burdensome for Senior Middle Three students who had extra classes. However, with the encouragement from the teacher-advisor, it was decided that the competition would go on just one day before the registration deadline. Xin Yee mentioned that she had some concerns at first as the Committees were mostly novice, but she was satisfied with their efforts to make this event successful.

     During the preparation, there were myriads of memorable moments that were special to her. Due to the shortage of time, the Committees only used a day to complete the proposal, which usually took about a week to prepare. At first, she was also anxious about the lack of response from students, but she was overjoyed as there was double the number of students who participated within her expectations. It was her first time conducting a schoolwide competition. She was beyond grateful for this opportunity despite the challenge.

     The winners were announced on a post from the History Club’s official Facebook page 5 days later on the 12^th of June. Craig Ng from Jr3Z(1) managed to snag first place amongst the Juniors with a score of 78, while Chew Yong Xi from Sr3B, who scored 79, was placed first in the Senior category. The first runners-up were Ng Hui Wen from Jr2Z(1) and Leow Kai Lin from Sr2D, second runners-up were Chin Pei Huan from Jr3Z(1) and Chan Ying Qin from Sr1ScB, and the consolation prize went to Hong Yii Shean and Teh Jun Jie, both from Jr2Z(1) and Teoh Shean Hans and Mar Ying Zhi, both from Sr3A.