Picture nine uniform clad students, grades 4-8, prepped and ready for a competition. Words of encouragement and praise could not quell the nerves and butterflies emanating from their beings. These eager students were those I had the privilege of spending the better part of the past two months helping to prepare for the school competition of the National Geography Bee.
What a thrill to sit and watch these kids answer questions that pertained to not only United States geography, but to world geography, physical geography, and cultural geography. The months of practice were evident as many students answered the questions confidently and without hesitation. These students were so dedicated that giving up Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings did not seem to cramp their style too much. The exposure to map reading and critical thinking skills facilitated by the parent volunteer (State Department Employee) were priceless.
OK, back to the competition...
During the first seven rounds, each participant was given one question per round. The four students with the highest number of correct answers from those seven rounds then proceeded to the preliminary round. The next few rounds were then battled out until two students remained. Those two students then proceeded onto the Championship round. The two final participants were then asked the same question and asked to to write down their answers. They then had to present the answer in written format as well as orally confirm what was written.
So, the final question....
"Timbuktu, a center of caravan trade for almost a thousand years, is located north of the Niger River in which landlocked country?"
And the winner is...
As for the next step, Big Sister will have to take a proctored written test to submit to the National Geographic Bee Society. If she does well and qualifies, she will then be asked to participate in the State Geography Bee. Guess that atlas will not be shelved anytime soon!
