Matthew Barnes, born Matthew Richard Barnes in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania on November 30th, is a nationally recognized academic champion. Barnes experienced a quick rise in academic fame in the year 2010, when he competed in the Academic Games Leagues of America,(AGLOA), National Tournament. Matt defeated everyone in the nation (grades 9-12) in the Presidents Competition, while only in ninth grade. Even though he had his protest about a question denied, he was still able to hold on and take first place. He also competed and won the AGLOA National Championship in the World Events Competition. In World Events, he won the Junior Division(Grades 9-10) by 18 points, and he also had the highest score of anyone in grades 9-12. In just a little over a year of learning about these competitions, he had competed in, and won, both Social Studies competitions, something that, according to AGLOA's website, has not been done in recent memory. Barnes is the first student from Lincoln High School in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania to win an AGLOA National Title. On May 17, 2010, Barnes was awarded a commendation from Ellwood City Mayor Tony Court for his accomplishments and successes. Barnes also received a citation from Pennsylvania State Representative Jaret Gibbons and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives congratulating and honoring him for his victories. The citation contained the signatures of Rep. Gibbons, Speaker of the House Keith R. McCall, and the chief clerk of the house. Along with these citation's, Barnes was the subject of numerous articles in local newspapers. On June 10, 2010, Ellwood City Ledger reporter Eric Poole wrote an editorial on history in schools entitled "History Gets Little Respect". In the editorial, Poole points out how history is so often set aside to other subjects in school. Poole reflects on Barnes' accomplishments and discusses points made by Barnes about the importance of history in not just school, but in society itself. In an interview done with Poole, Barnes said, "knowledge of the past lends context to the present." Putting this in more simple terms, Barnes says, "If you better understand what happened before you, you will better understand the present, and a better understanding of the present will lead to a better future."
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