Top Geography Students Compete for State Championship

by Kristie West

Sacramento, CA- On Friday, April 3, young geography whizzes from across the country will participate in state-level Geographic Bees, competing for a spot in the national competition in Washington, D.C., in May. The California competition takes place at Cosumnes River College in the Recital Hall with the final round beginning at approximately 10:45a.m.

There are several students in the Sacramento region competing in Friday's competition. They include: Jasper Gebhardt of Ione, Nezar Jamal of Carmichael, Joshua Lourence of Elk Grove, Daniel Mackay of Carmichael and Jackson Vose of Roseville.

One hundred fourth- to eighth-graders in California qualified to participate, with the winner receiving $100, the "National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World," and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national finals on May 19-20 and the chance to be crowned National Geographic Bee champion.
First prize in the national competition is a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers receive $15,000 and $10,000 college scholarships. The national winner will also travel to the Galapagos Islands with "Jeopardy!" quiz show host and National Geographic Bee moderator Alex Trebek and the "Jeopardy!" Clue Crew.

John Fahey, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, said, "National Geographic's mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Through the National Geographic Bee and everything else we do at the Society, we hope to foster a lifelong passion for learning and to encourage the experience and knowledge of other cultures and lands."

The state Bees are the second level of the annual National Geographic Bee. The first level began last November with contests in more than 13,000 U.S. schools, in which millions of students participated.
Cosumnes River College is located on the corner of Center Parkway and Cosumnes River Blvd, off Highway 99. It is part of the Los Rios Community College District.