FLVS Hosts 2nd Annual Geography Bee

Nine students from the FLVS Geography Club participated in a school-level competition of the National Geographic GeoBee on January 18, 2019.

The school-level competition is the first round in the annual National Geographic GeoBee, a geography competition designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world. Questions cover not only geography, but also cultures, physical features, history, and earth science.  Congratulations to Emily Maynard, an 8th grade student, who won first place! Spencer Erickson, an 8th grade student, won second place and Emily Pino, a 7th grade student, finished in third place.

The FLVS Geography Club meets twice monthly and is open to all middle school students who take online courses through FLVS Flex. It is hosted by club sponsors Elise Harris and David Fellows. In addition to the GeoBee, the club also hosts various field trips including a visit to the Natural History Museum, a planned trip to the state capital, and to Sea World.

The National Geographic Society developed the GeoBee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States. Over more than three decades, 120 million students have learned about the world through participation in the GeoBee. School champions, including Emily Maynard will take an online qualifying test; up to 100 of the top test scorers in each state then become eligible to compete in their State GeoBee. The winners of the State GeoBees receive an all-expenses-paid trip to National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. next May to participate in the GeoBee national championship, competing for cash prizes, scholarships, and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour ll.

This year’s GeoBee was a great success, with students progressing through multiple rounds and answering a variety of challenging questions. Congratulations to our all of our participants!

Learn more about the National Geographic GeoBee at www.natgeobee.org.