SMS crowns National Geographic Geography Bee Champion

Connor Davidson, an eighth grade student at Salem Middle School, won the school level competition of the National Geographic Geography Bee and moved one step closer to a $50,000 college scholarship.  Shawn Gibbs, a seventh grade student, placed second and Chance Pellman, also a seventh grade student, placed third.  

The school Bee, at which students answered questions on geography, was the first round in the 31st annual National Geographic Bee, 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.

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 Davidson, will take an online qualifying test; up to 100 of the top 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 Galapagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II.  earn more at www.natgeobee.org.

In addition to the GeoBee, National Geographic also offers classroom resources, student experiences, and professional development opportunities for educators. 

Examples of National Geographic Bee Questions

1. The Appalachian Mountains run through which state – Georgia or Mississippi?

2. The North Platte and South Platte Rivers meet in which state – New Mexico or Nebraska?

3. Which state straddles the Tropic of Cancer – Hawaii or Alaska?

4. Which form of mass production was used by Henry Ford to produce automobiles in large quantities in Detroit, Michigan – Threshing Machine or Assembly Line?

5. What is the term for the physical location where a plant or animal lives – Habitat or Pattern?

6. Which country does NOT contain large areas of desert – Chad, Venezuela, or Iraq?

7. Public steam baths called hammams are part of the culture in cities such as Casablanca and Marrakech in which African country?

8. The Delmarva Peninsula includes parts of Delaware, Virginia, and which other state?

9. The easternmost part of the Horn of Africa is located in which country?

10. Angkor Wat, built as a tribute to Hinduism, is located in which Southeast Asian country where Buddhism now predominates?

Answers:

Georgia, Nebraska, Hawaii, Assembly Line, Habitat, Venezuela, Morocco, Maryland, Somalia, Cambodia

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