At first, Isaac Zerke’s talents seemed to lie in the direction of geography.

So — what is this we hear about a winning performance in the regional National History Bee competition?

The 13-year-old, the son of Kim and John Zerke, just smiled.

”I like them all,” he said with a shrug, referring to the subjects he studies at Ellis Middle School. “I do all right in math; and language arts – science, too.”

And, of course, history and geography.

When he was in seventh grade he participated in the National Geographic Geography Bee and made it to the state competition at the University of Minnesota at Mankato.

This year he passed the required online qualifier for the National History Bee, which placed him in the Midwest regional competition held in Prior Lake on March 24.

Since he placed in the top percentile, he earned the right to compete in the national contest. That will be held in Atlanta, Ga., May 31-June 3.

An added bonus: He took the geography test for the National History Bee and also qualified to participate in that competition in Atlanta.

The regional contest was not, as they say, a cake walk. The competition required both oral and written responses. After advancing to the second round, he found “the questions got much harder,” he said.

Subject matter came from world history, with questions ranging from King Henry X of France and Genghis Khan, to jazz trumpeter Miles Davis — even to how the feudal Japanese built their homes with squeaky floors to detect ninjas who might break in to attack them.

“It was kind of a random fact, but (Ellis language arts instructor) Mr. Westphal had told us about that; I remembered that,” he said.

Zerke says he enjoys reading biographies, which serve as personal portals into the times they lived. He has a particular interest “in the world wars,” he said. “I also like the era in the 1860s, the Oregon Trail, the Civil War.”

He said his dad, John, inspired early interest in other cultures.

“I can remember our sitting with the globe, and we would put our fingers on a spot,” and recite the names of cities and countries.

Entering the national history contest comes at a cost. He will be looking for sponsors to help offset the $1,000 price tag.  He is starting to do extra jobs, like clean up yards and investigate other fundraisers.

While he still has quite a few years of school ahead of him, he could envision being a teacher, he said.

Which subject matter, however, has yet to be decided.

“But history?” he wondered. “Yes, I could see myself doing that.”