More than 70 students in grades 4 through 6 took part in the annual Elementary Geography Bee sponsored by School District 206. The bee was held on December 10 at Woodland Elementary School (WES) in Alexandria and was organized by Gifted and Talented (Quest) program coordinators Dave Harstad and Pam Pearson.
Two students from each District 206 4th to 6th grade classrooms were selected by one of the following methods - a current events/geography quiz, a classroom geography bee and social studies grades.
Through the bee, one building winner from each elementary school was chosen (one winner was chosen from the Garfield, Miltona, Carlos schools), along with one district winner.
Of the 70 students participating, 16 advanced to the oral round. Of those, the field was narrowed to five, including Kendall Kohler (WES); Wil Kopp (WES); Ryan Swanberg, Lincoln Elementary School (LES); Tanner Kluver, Miltona; and Paige Revering, Voyager Elementary School.
Kopp was crowned the district geography bee champion, with Kluver runner-up.
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Building winners were Kluver, Swanberg, Kopp and Revering. These students will have their names put on the geography bee plaque located in their school They will also take a written qualifying test, attempting to become one of the top 100 students to compete in the State Geography Bee later this winter.
Each year, thousands of schools in the U.S. participate in the National Geographic Bee, using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest and increase public awareness about geography.
