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National Geographic Bee: State Winners Earn Their Titles |
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Stefan Lovgren for National Geographic News |
| Updated April 6, 2006 |
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Question: Seventy percent unemployment and a severe fuel shortage have virtually paralyzed economic activity in which country east of Botswana? By providing the right answer—Zimbabwe—Ryland Lu of Los Angeles, California, outmapped more than a hundred fourth- to eighth-graders on March 31 to win the National Geographic Bee California state championship. The state Bees, held across the United States last Friday, are the second level of the annual National Geographic Bee, which is sponsored this year by JPMorgan Chase. The first level began last November when nearly five million students participated in contests held at more than 14,000 U.S. schools. State winners will travel to Washington, D.C., for the national finals on May 23 and 24. First prize in the national competition is a $25,000 college scholarship. Second- and third-place finishers will receive $15,000 and $10,000 college scholarships respectively. Lu, who is an eighth-grader at Los Angeles's Pressman Academy, won the state championship two years ago but did not crack the top ten in the national competition. His mother, Randy, is convinced her son will do better this time. She says Lu has always had an insatiable appetite for anything geography-related. "When he was four years old, he knew where Uzbekistan was," she said. "He studies everything from every possible angle—economics, currencies, culture, history." Geo Illiterate? The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the U.S. Nearly a decade later the situation had not appeared to improve. A 2002 survey co-conducted by the National Geographic Society polled more than 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds in nine countries. Americans scored second lowest, beating only their counterparts in Mexico. (Read "Survey Reveals Geographic Illiteracy.") But for the students participating in the Bee, geographic knowledge is a way of life. Stephen Cunha, a geography professor at Humboldt State University in Arcata, served as the coordinator for the California competition. In that state contest, he said, 19 students scored a perfect eight out of eight correct answers in the preliminary rounds. "State finalists come in all shapes and sizes," Cunha said. "We see star athletes and musicians, computer wizards and artists, introverted kids and class clowns. "They all love geography and share an insatiable curiosity about the world around them." All states used the same questions, which are divided into core sub-categories, such as physical geography and commerce. "The Bee may look like a giant Trivial Pursuit contest to the uninitiated, but really the kids who understand the patterns that order our world are the ones that prevail over 25 rounds," Cunha said. Test Yourself Some of the state-level questions included: • Name the peninsula in the Middle East that separates the Gulf of Suez from the Gulf of Aqaba. (Sinai Peninsula) • A Mexican state that borders Arizona shares its name with a desert. Name this Mexican state. (Sonora) • Which capital city located on the Suriname River has distinctive Dutch colonial architecture? (Paramaribo) The national championship round of the National Geographic Bee will be moderated for the 18th year by Jeopardy! quiz show host Alex Trebek. The finals will air nationwide on May 24 on the National Geographic Channel and will be broadcast later on public television stations. National Geographic Bee 2006 State Winners Alabama: Lowell Van Ness, Bumpus Middle School, Hoover Alaska: Andrew Lee, IDEA, Anchorage Arizona: Kelsey Schilperoort, Heritage Christian Home Educators, Prescott Arkansas: Devin Leigh Matthews, Lake Area Homeschool Association, Heber Springs California: Ryland Lu, Pressman Academy, Los Angeles Colorado: Autumn Hughes, Chec, Colorado Springs Connecticut: Liam McCarthy, Middlesex Middle School, Darien Delaware: Matthew Heitmann, Gunning Bedford Middle School, New Castle Department of Defense Dependents Schools: Husain Mogri, Bahrain School, Bahrain District of Columbia: Benjamin Geyer, British School of Washington Florida: John Kim, Oslo Middle School, Vero Beach Georgia: Yeshwanth Kandimalla, Simpson Middle School, Marietta Hawaii: Guthrie Angeles, Kaleiopuu Elementary, Waipahu Idaho: Ryan Bovard, Jenifer Junior High, Lewiston Illinois: Bonny Jain, Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Moline Indiana: Jonathan Hielkema, Highland Christian School, Highland Iowa: Drew Coffin, Northwest Junior High, Coralville Kansas: Suneil Iyer, Havencroft Elementary, Olathe Kentucky: Matthew Hensley, Beaumont Middle School, Lexington Louisiana: Lee Winkler, Kehoe-France, Metaire Maine: Alexander Homer, Ellsworth Middle School, Ellsworth Maryland: James Plamondon, St. John Regional Catholic School, Frederick Massachusetts: Krishnan Chandra, West Middle School, Andover Michigan: Matthew Vengalil, Parcells Middle School, Grosse Pointe Woods Minnesota: Simon Smedberg, Jefferson Community School, Minneapolis Mississippi: Taide Ding, Central Elementary, Oxford Missouri: Christopher Winston, Crestview Middle School, Ellisville Montana: Hannah Goodman, Helena Area Christian Home Education, Helena Nebraska: Preston Bradley, Lux Middle School, Lincoln Nevada: Paige dePolo, Little Flower School, Reno New Hampshire: Neeraj Sirdeshmukh, Fairgrounds Middle School, Nashua New Jersey: Evan Meltzer, Central Middle School, Stirling New Mexico: Luis Baca, Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque New York: Jonathan Katz, Scarsdale Middle School, Scarsdale North Carolina: Michael Narup, Myrtle Grove Middle School, Wilmington North Dakota: Conrad Eggers, Horizon Middle School, Bismarck Ohio: Nirbhay Jain, Ottawa Hills Junior High, Toledo Oklahoma: Anthony Gonzalez, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow Oregon: Michael Ling, Meadow Park Middle School, Beaverton Pacific Territories: Ian Farley, South Pacific Academy, American Samoa Pennsylvania: Michael Luo, Eagle View Middle School, Mechanicsburg Puerto Rico: Francisco Vargas, Saint Johns School, San Juan Rhode Island: Laura Kulm, Archie Cole Middle School, East Greenwich South Carolina: Andrew Brill, Anderson Homeschool Association, Easley South Dakota: Joey Knofczynski, Georgia Morse Middle School, Pierre Tennessee: Mark Arildsen, University School Of Nashville, Nashville Texas: Jiawei Li, Beck Junior High, Katy Utah: Jeffrey Bennett, Midvale Middle School, Midvale Vermont: Lucas Earl, Randolph Union High, Randolph Virgin Islands: Sean Marin, St. Croix Country Day School, St. Croix Virginia: Jose Antonia dela Pena, Families In Support Of Home Education, Oak Hill Washington: Caitlin Snaring, Family Learning Center, Redmond West Virginia: Joshua Hamrick, Webster Springs Middle School, Webster Springs Wisconsin: Oliver Buchino, Marshall Middle School, Marshall Wyoming: James Mothersbaugh, Park Elementary Free Email News Updates Sign up for our Inside National Geographic newsletter. 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