Olathe boy is finalist for $10,000 memory championship
Olathe, KS—An Olathe fifth-grader will embark in less than three weeks on a voyage to become a national memory champion and earn a $10,000 grand prize.
Joshua Perry, 11, of Olathe, is one of 16 finalists in the National Memory Master competition. On May 2 Joshua will compete in three rounds of academic memory testing during a five-day cruise to the Bahamas aboard the Carnival cruise ship Victory. Each of the finalists received two free tickets to the cruise and $800 in traveling money.
“I’m excited to go on the cruise and compete with other Classical Conversations kids,” Joshua said. “It’s fun but also challenging to remember all the facts from cycles 1-3!”
The 16 finalists have already been through a rigorous series of local and regional competitions to reach the finals. Joshua’s presentation to reach this point stressed the idea that early European history can be marked by growth and expansion in the church, country conquests, and monarchical reigns. The three-round championship will cover disciplines such as math, science, English grammar, history, Latin and geography.
The National Memory Master competition is hosted by Classical Conversations, a classical education resource used by homeschoolers in all 50 states and 14 foreign countries. Classical Conversations now has more than 93,000 students enrolled in its tutoring programs.
Joshua attends the Classical Conversations community of East Lenexa, Kansas. He is the son of Ben and Becca Perry and the oldest of five children. Joshua is finishing his fourth year as a Classical Conversations, or CC, student and has been a National Memory Master all four years.
In his spare time, Joshua enjoys enjoys playing baseball and basketball and watching football. When he has a few moments to himself, Joshua can be found reading, assembling Legos, coloring, and running around outside with a sibling.
Becca Perry says her son’s favorite subjects are geography, history and math, “but having outdoor recess with neighbor friends often highlights his day,” she added.
In addition to the National Memory Masters competition, the first CC Capstone Cruise will also feature the third annual National Number Knockout finals and CC’s first high school commencement.
CC provides resources, guidance and a community for a home school curriculum using classical education in three developmental stages: grammar, dialectic and rhetoric, and taught from a Christian worldview, according to its founder, Leigh Bortins. She says CC supports homeschooling parents by cultivating the love of learning through a Christian worldview in fellowship with other families. She believes there are three keys to a great education: classical, Christian and community.
Started in 1997 and headquartered in West End, North Carolina, CC is a family-owned company that provides services to almost 1,900 CC communities around the world. For more information visit www.classicalconversations.com.
Contact:
John Carpenter, Communication Journalist
Classical Conversations
(423) 618-3753
jcarpenter@classicalconversations.com
