High Pressure World of Geography Bee
Quick. Hot Springs National Park is located north of Arkadelphia and Lake Hamilton in what US state?
You have five seconds to answer.
Next. Lilongwe and Blantyre are major cities in which landlocked African country?
These questions and others like them could be heard last week in middle school classrooms as students participated in the preliminary rounds of the annual National Geographic Geography Bee. Each grade battled it out over the course of seven rounds (each subsequent round requiring a more and more erudite knowledge of world geography) until just two students remained. These two students held the honor of representing their grades in the final competition, held last Thursday, January 13.
Finalists included:
4th grade: Max Jefferson and Graham Shockley
5th grade: Conner Thompson and Daniel Lutes
6th grade: Leah Hicks and Shayna Elliot
7th grade: Zoe Bauer and Emily Baker
8th grade: Elise Blackburn and Skye Cameron
Naturally, the final competition was markedly more difficult than the prelims. Participants had to reach into the elusive crevasses of their minds wherein obscure and often hard-to-pronounce worldly knowledge dwells. After some truly remarkable rounds, the remaining two titans of geography were 4th grader Graham Shockley and 8th grader Skye Cameron. And just as in an epic sports movie, it came down to the final seconds, with one question deciding who reigns champion in the USN hallways.
The question: Tet is an important holiday celebrating the new year in what country west of the Gulf of Tonkin?
Skye Cameron emerged victorious when he answered correctly “Vietnam,” speaking with the sure-fire confidence of someone who’s been in this seat before.
Pending results from an even more bone-chilling Geography test, Skye will have the chance to compete at the state level and perhaps at the national level. So until next year, dust off those old atlases and world fact books and prepare for 2012.
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Athletes beyond Edgehill
Read MoreIt is common to have five or more University School of Nashville student-athletes sign college athletic commitment letters each year, and this year, USN saw eight more student-athletes commit to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. USN has 25 alumni participating in their chosen sport at the collegiate level from the Classes of 2021 through 2025. Continue reading to learn more about where Tigers are competing beyond Edgehill. -
Tech Bytes: Tips for summer
Middle School Educational Technologist Kari Luecke shares must-read articles and suggests options to declutter your smartphone and reduce screen time this summer.Read More -
6th graders head to capitol for spirited debate
Read MoreDuring a fun field trip to wrap up the year, students were able to debate on the House floor during a visit to the Tennessee State Capitol. See more photos from their final lesson here.
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