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National Geographic Bee: State Winners Announced |
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National Geographic News |
| April 12, 2005 |
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The 55 state-level winners in this year's National Geographic Bee, an academic competition that tests U.S. students' knowledge of geography, have been announced by the National Geographic Society. By winning the National Geographic Bee in their respective states or U.S. territories, the finalists qualified for the national finals in Washington, D.C., in May. Each state competition was the culmination of a process that started with some five million fourth through eighth graders in nearly 15,000 schools across the United States. To qualify for the state National Geographic Bee, each student had to win his or her school's Geographic Bee. They then had to earn one of the top hundred scores in the state on a written qualifying test. The first prize at the state bee is U.S. $100 and an expenses-paid trip to the national finals on May 24 and 25. The national champion will be awarded a U.S. $25,000 college scholarship. Second- and third-place winners receive $15,000 and $10,000 scholarships. The championship round will air May 25 on the National Geographic Channel and afterward on public television stations. (Check local listings for day and time.) The National Geographic Bee was started 17 years ago to help promote geography education. Bee champions pore over newspapers, atlases, textbooks, and Web sites to gather a vast knowledge of geography. "National Geographic employees would have a hard time competing against these bright youngsters," said Mary Lee Elden, director of the National Geographic Bee. "Now the hard part for the staff of the National Geographic Bee is preparing questions [for the national round] that challenge these geo-whizzes." National Geographic Bee 2005 State Winners Alabama: William Moody, Lee-Scott Academy, Auburn Alaska: Leif Johnson, Teeland Middle School, Wasilla Arizona: Kevin Bertram, Valley Academy Charter School, Phoenix Arkansas: Sydney Rasch, Cabot Junior High School South, Cabot California: Peter Johnston, St. Simon School, Los Altos Colorado: Ben Black, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette Connecticut: Liam McCarthy, Middlesex Middle School, Darien Delaware: Bailey Elmore, Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences, Georgetown Department of Defense Dependents Schools: Neil-Patrick Villamora, Yokosuka Middle School, Yokosuka, Japan District of Columbia: Ben Geyer, British School of Washington Florida: Jesse Weinberg, Ransom Everglades Middle School, Coconut Grove Georgia: Yeshwanth Kandimalla, Simpson Middle School, Marietta Hawaii: Michael Kempnich, Emmanuel Lutheran School, Kahului Idaho: Andrew Leuchtman, Mountain View Middle School, Blackfoot Illinois: Bonny Jain, Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Moline Indiana: William Weitzel, Evansville Day School, Evansville Iowa: Drew Coffin, Northwest Junior High School, Coralville Kansas: Benjamin Detrixhe, Clifton-Clyde Middle School, Clyde Kentucky: Matthew Hensley, Beaumont Middle School, Lexington Louisiana: Stephen Levy, St. Paul School, Covington Maine: Jonathan Brock, Sanford Junior High School, Sanford Massachusetts: Krishnan Chandra, West Middle School, Andover Maryland: Nicholas Sundback, Westland Middle School, Bethesda Michigan: Jamie Ding, Parcells Middle School, Grosse Pointe Woods Minnesota: Nathan Cornelius, Marshall Area Christian Home Educators Association Mississippi: Ryan Ezelle, Union Middle School, Union Missouri: Matthew Thampy, St. Charles County Homeschoolers Montana: Michael Capozzoli, Paris Middle School, Great Falls Nebraska: John Borstelmann, Irving Middle School, Lincoln Nevada: Paige de Polo, Little Flower School, Reno New Hampshire: Nicholas Amadeo, David R. Cawley Middle School, Hooksett New Jersey: Tejas Raje, Crossroads North Middle School, Monmouth Junction New Mexico: Ian Erickson-Kery, Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque New York: Jonathan Katz, Scarsdale Middle School, Scarsdale North Carolina: Omar Hamad, Daniels Middle School, Raleigh North Dakota: Eric Moos, Langdon Area Middle School, Langdon Ohio: Nirbhay Jain, Ottowa Hills Elementary, Toledo Oklahoma: Vivek Koduri, University School, Tulsa Oregon: Samuel Brandt, Roosevelt Middle School, Eugene Pacific Territories: Dorothy Charles, Harvest Christian Academy, Barrigada, Guam Pennsylvania: Jim Sutter, Hampton Middle School, Allison Park Puerto Rico: Stephan Coll, American School, Bayamon Rhode Island: Karan Takhar, The Gordon School, East Providence South Carolina: Atkinson Dillingham, Westminster Catawba Christian School, Rock Hill South Dakota: Josh Bucher, Patrick Henry Middle School, Sioux Falls Tennessee: Cody Simons, Meigs Magnet School, Nashville Texas: Josh Eslick, Parker County Christian Home Educators Utah: JeffreyBennett, Midvale Middle School, Midvale Vermont: Ian Rockwell, Browns River Middle School, Jericho Virgin Islands: Diamond Ash, Joseph Gomez Elementary School, St. Thomas Virginia: Ryan Thompson, Thomas Eaton Middle School, Hampton Washington: Max Sugarman, Pine Lake Middle School, Sammamish West Virginia: Yiping Wang, Beckley Stratton Middle School, Beckley Wisconsin: Dustin Becker, Greendale Middle School, Greendale Wyoming: James Mothersbaugh, Park Elementary School, Casper Don't Miss a Discovery Sign up our free newsletter. 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