REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 8, 2000 — Last Saturday, David Cohen, a 16-year-old from Monroe Township, N.J. received a $50,000 college scholarship by winning the Encarta Bee Challenge, first announced in October. In addition to the scholarship, Cohen receives a trip for two to Stonehenge in England, and will serve as Encarta.com’s first junior editor. He will report on his travels in an essay to be posted on the Web site next year.
More than 50,000 teenagers entered the Encarta Bee Challenge, a research skills tournament in which students aged 13 to 18 competed online against their peers and the clock to find answers to questions on topics such as history, geography, science and literature. Unlike traditional Bees that focus on rote memorization, the Microsoft Encarta Bee Challenge encouraged students to learn life-long skills in research and ingenuity that prepare them for today’s electronic age. Research indicates that knowing how to find answers is increasingly critical in an information-based world. More and more, success depends upon the ability to quickly locate, analyze and use information.
“Research indicates that knowing how to find answers is increasingly critical in an information-based world,” said Claudia Ender, product manager for Encarta. “More and more, success depends upon the ability to quickly locate, analyze and use information. Encarta.com is the online resource for learners of all ages.”
The final event took place in New York City, hosted by “Malcolm In the Middle” star Frankie Muniz, with the five finalists using Encarta.com resources — including Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe, Encarta World English Dictionary and Encarta Interactive World Atlas — to do the research necessary to best answer the two rounds of 25 questions they were given. Cohen, a junior at Monroe Township High School where he is captain of the academic team (ranked in the top five in the state), was declared the winner.
The four runners-up received a Microsoft “Digital Dream Package,” consisting of a Pocket PC, computer peripherals, educational and gaming software, and an online account valued at $1,000 from DoughNET.com.
