Bee-ing Successful: Results of Geographic Bee

The Lower School held its 6th annual National Geographic Bee competition on Thursday, Jan. 12. Thirty-five students in grades 8-8 competed for the title, marking the first year we've had eighth-grade students competing. 

Our students did a remarkable job in testing their knowledge of U.S. and world geography. Eighth-grader Ethan Pender came out on top, winning his fourth school-level Bee. He now has a second opportunity to qualify at the state level. The second-place winner was eighth-grader Avery Kress with fourth-grader Frank Manning earning runner-up. 

All of our competitors are to be congratulated for a job well done. It was very impressive to see the knowledge and maturity that the students demonstrated during the two-hour competition, in addition to their good sportsmanship by encouraging each other. Our teachers are also to be commended for helping prepare the students for this event. Special thanks to our moderators: Ann Glass and Steve McConnell, and score keeper Jennifer Helbing.

The national competition is held in the spring at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. and moderated by Alex Trebek of “Jeopardy!” Students who compete at the national level have a chance to win a $25,000 college scholarship. Last year’s winner was a 13-year-old from a middle school in Texas who successfully answered the following question: “Thousands of mountain climbers and trekkers rely on Sherpas to aid their ascent of Mount Everest. The southern part of Mount Everest is located in which Nepalese national park?” Answer: Sagarmatha National Park.

This is the 24th year that the National Geographic Society has sponsored this event for students in grades 4-8 in thousands of schools across the United States, five U.S. territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools around the world. The 2012 Bee is sponsored by Google.