By SHANA SLOMA
shana@readthereporter.com
A Westfield Washinton Schools (WWS) third grader has qualified for the 2024 International Academic Competitions (IA) Middle and Elementary School National Championships set for May 23 to 27 in Orlando, Fla.
Anant Kamath, 9, a student at Shamrock Springs Elementary School, qualified for the IA National Championships and the International Geography Bee after competing in both the Science and Geography divisions of the IA Competitions online regional championships.
Anant also competed in the IA Competitions Indiana Winter Regional Finals, a buzzer-based regional competition, held at Westfield Middle School on Feb. 3. There he solidified his place in the Nationals with a first-place win in Science and a fourth-place win in Geography.
Although the two regional competitions utilize a different competition format, it is only necessary to achieve one top 50th percentile win to qualify for the National and International Championships. By competing both ways, his regional ranking is determined by his greatest win, but it will have no direct impact on his position at Nationals.
The Reporter spoke to Anant’s mother, Surbhi Jagotta, who said that Anant chose to compete in both formats in order to better prepare mentally for the challenges presented at the National Championships.
“You have 30 questions in three to four rounds. It is a buzzer format, and everyone is answering very quickly,” Jagotta said. “It can be very stressful.”
This is not Anant’s first IA Nationals. In 2023, he also qualified for Nationals after competing in the IA Regional competition. Competing against approximately 200 other students in a multi-round buzzer format, he was dismissed just short of the quarterfinals. This year he returns with prior experience and a regional gold medal.
When The Reporter asked Jagotta how Anant first became aware of the online competition site, she said that she originally discovered the IA Competitions website two years during an online search. Jagotta said that Anant has a strong thirst for knowledge and is often bored after school. According to Jagotta, she and Anant’s father, Subu Kamath, had been creating math worksheets for Anant because he wanted to be challenged. She then began searching the internet for ways to challenge her son. Jagotta said once she found the IA Competitions website and suggested for Anant to try one of the tests, he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to try more of them.
IA Competitions was founded by 19-day Jeopardy! winner David Madden in 2010. Through regional, national, and international competition, children K-12 can academically challenge themselves in multiple subjects and formats. The organization seeks to enrich children and foster a love of learning.
Jagotta told The Reporter that Anant loves learning especially about all things related to science.
“He loved reading about animals and talking about animal facts when he was little. He used to watch a lot of educational videos,” Jagotta said. “He’s had that interest in learning about science since the beginning.”
Jagotta shared with The Reporter Anant’s perspective on the importance of science.
“Science is everything. From the trees to the buildings and everything in between,” Anant said. “From the forests to the civilizations, everywhere you have science.”
Not only is Anant a science-loving academic athlete, but he is also part of the Shamrock Springs robotics team. His talents go beyond the school setting. He takes piano lessons at Bach to Rock in Carmel and is the pianist in a four-person band.
While Anant continues preparing for his return to the Nationals, Jagotta said that he is looking forward to finishing the school year and enjoying summer break.
“He wants to come back to get his yearbook. Also, the third and fourth grades are getting free passes to the U.S. National Parks this summer,” Jagotta said. “Anant is really excited see the parks.”