You might have seen him winning first place at History Bowl. You might have seen him sporting that Berkeley football jersey. Introducing…Charlie Pennington ’15! Charlie was gracious enough to take a couple minutes out of his valuable lunch time to give us insight into his life.

Q: You won both the History Bowl and Bee championship! Can you give us some tips on how one can do well in the tournaments?

A: Well, just try to research whenever you hear about something that you don’t know. Always look things up on Wikipedia and always watch shows and movies and always try to remember everything. I have lots of books that I have read over the years.

Q: What’s your favorite period of history?

A: I like ancient history, so most of the Roman Empire and all the way to end of the Byzantine Empire.

Q: If you could be any historical figure, who would you be?

A: I would probably be Alexander the Great because he was really young and still did a lot.

Q: You have to get a break from your schedule! What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time, I try to watch shows or play video games that also help me learn things. Games actually take place in historical times or shows that help me learn things. Movies like The Last of the Mohicans and shows like The John Adams Show, those are all shows that you also learn while watching.

Q: Did you celebrate Halloween?

A: I did not celebrate Halloween. I was too busy to order a costume…

Q: What would you have been?

A: I wanted to be Max, the kid from Where the Wild Things Are, but I couldn’t get the costume in time.

Q: Your brother’s a senior (George Pennington ’14). Is it nice having an older sibling with you at school?

A: Yeah it is because he can usually drive me places, and he gives me hints on things to do because he’s been where I am right now so that’s useful.

Q: Are you going to miss him next year?
A: Yeah definitely. It’ll be weird when he’s not around. It’ll be a lot more quiet and I’ll have to start driving myself.

With his diverse set of interests and dedication to learning, Charlie will definitely do well at the National History Bowl in April. Good luck, Charlie!