Elementary School Geo Bee
This year's ES Geography Bee was held the afternoon of Tuesday, December 8 in the Huizenga auditorium. Sixteen 4th, 5th & 6th graders qualified to participate and sat on the stage, waiting for their turn at the microphone. They were: Riley Callahan, Savannah Faruzzi, Abigail Gilbert, Joy Gregorio, Nick Harmon, Audrey Huizenga, Daniel Mattox, Coleman Miller, Andy Mittlestaedt, Isaac Nuñez, Adam Postma, Patrick Roelofs, Joe Sikes, Robyn VanStaalduinen, Ellie Wiener and Alex Zebutis. Their classmates sat in the audience, with pens and notebooks poised to play along as they answered an increasily difficult list of geography questions.
The first few rounds were questions about U.S. and world geography that included a choice between two answers. For example: "Qeshm, the largest island in the Persian Gulf, is part of which country – Iran or Jordan?" In rounds four through six, the contestants used a map to answer questions about commute times. Only four students survived the difficult round seven.
Another set of questions whittled the competition to two, Joe Sikes and Coleman Miller, who battled it out for the championship. Joe knew which Canadian province extends from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay for the win. Joe, along with runner-up Cole, will be competing in the Middle School Geography Bee on Tuesday, December 15 at 1:30 for the school championship and an opportunity to compete at the next level. Visitors are welcome at the competition. Congratulations to Joe and Cole!
(And, just in case you were wondering, the answers to the above questions above are Iran and Ontario.)
