January 10, 2001
Worldly knowledge
Junior high students compete in Geography Bee
By Lisa Perkins
Herald staff writer
Quick - name the sea that was created by the spreading of the Earth's crust along the junction of the African and Arabian plates. If you knew that the correct answer is the Red Sea, you have something in common with Sam Long. The eighth-grader answered this question correctly to become the winner of Traverse City East Junior High's National Geographic Bee.
Alex Brown, an eight-grade student at Traverse City West Junior High, won his school level tournament for the second consecutive year. Brown's classmates Nathan Mills and Cody Morgan placed second and third respectively.
"The questions are pretty tough" said East's second-place finisher, Stephen Siciliano, who prepared for the finals by reviewing an atlas.
Long, along with five other East finalists, answered questions on a variety of subjects including where the Pocono Mountains are located and what U.S. island territory has the motto "Where America's Day Begins."
East's competition began in December with more than 150 seventh and eighth-grade students, who were asked short-answer questions provided by the National Geographic Society. Six students made it through the double elimination procedure to compete in the final round where Garrett Boursaw, Sam Long, Caitlin Bahra, Stephen Siciliano, Julia Rodgers and Bill Lazar confirmed that they have a solid grasp on geographical facts.
Sam Long and Stephen Siciliano advanced to the championship round, which was finally decided by a tie-break question. Long took first place and, along with Brown, will now take a written multiple choice test for a chance to qualify for the state level tournament to be held in Mt. Pleasant this April. Up to 100 of the top scorers will be eligible to compete in the state Geography Bee.
The state level winner, in addition to receiving a $100 prize, advances to the national championship. The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for state champions and their teacher-escorts to participate in the 13th annual National Geographic Bee on May 22 and 23, which will be moderated by Jeopardy's Alex Trebek. The national champion receives a $25,000 college scholarship.