World is his life and love

Ask most 12-year-old boys what they think of war and they're likely to critique a favorite battle scene from the latest "Star Wars" movie.

But not Peter Guekguezian.

Mention war to him and you'll get a geography lesson. "I like wars in a strategic way because wars have undoubtedly shaped history and the world so much. They're what made us what we are today," he said.

Guekguezian knows a great deal about the shape of the world. The First Lutheran Academy eighth grader is Nevada's State Geography Bee champ two years running. He will represent Nevada at the National Geography Bee in Washington on Tuesday. Fifty-seven students from around the country will compete in the preliminary, and the top 10 will go to the finals.

Peter's not sure how well he will do in the competition this year but he's set a goal for the first round. "Last year I missed three questions out of nine. This time I only want to miss (at most) one."

What motivates a 12-year-old to compete in such an event in the first place? "The enticement of a $25,000 scholarship and a weeklong trip with my family to Sydney, Australia," Peter explained with a grin.

His chances of doing well in the competition are very good, according to Donna Hague, his American History teacher. Hague is accompanying Peter to Washington.

"He's a very bright young man. He could probably teach the (history) class," she said, laughing. "When he came into the sixth grade, he was so bright we just bumped him up a grade."

Hague said he's not like most kids his age. "Peter's pretty unique and very much an individualist. He pursues a lot of interests on his own."

Vivy Guekguezian, Peter's mother, believes that her son's knowledge of geography started with his desire to learn at an early age. "In a lot of ways, his interests are beyond those of a 12-year-old," she said. "He's always been interested in learning so I don't have to (encourage) him to study, which is nice.

"How many mothers get to say that about their children?"

Geography first captured Peter's attention when he was young. "When I was 2, my Uncle John showed me a bunch of maps, and I was really interested in them. I enjoyed seeing things (on a map) that I might never see while traveling," he remembered.

Peter's interests have expanded. "Now I'm really into history. I don't know what the drive is. I just like to know about what's happened. It's pretty cool thinking about it."

His favorite historical topic is war. "The most exciting modern war for me is World War I because of the impact on a lot of different fronts. I draw maps to see how the countries shifted in position."

So how does a boy who could teach a history class relax after a long day at school? Watch television? Listen to music?

"I do some homework, play on the computer if my room is clean," he said. "If not, I just sit around and read books. I like to read historical fiction."

As for Peter's preparations for Tuesday's competition: "Saturday night, I'll look at all the National Geographic things. Nothing much out of the ordinary."

archive