Nathan and his World Geography teacher, Ms. Hannah Shickel.
Nathan Dunaway, a 7th grader at Redeemer Classical School, has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee Virginia State Competition. The contest will be held at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, on Friday, March 29, 2019.
This is the second level of the National Geographic GeoBee competition, which is now in its 31st year. The sixth- through eighth-grade students at Redeemer Classical School held their local GeoBee on January 2, 2019. After emerging as the school champion, Mr. Dunaway then took an online qualifying test, which the school submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories to compete in the State GeoBees.
This year, National Geographic increased the prize money for all State GeoBees. State champions will receive a medal, $1,000 in cash, and other prizes, as well as a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 19-22, 2019. Students that come in second and third place will receive cash awards of $300 and $100, respectively.
Each State Champion will advance to the National Championship and compete for cash awards and college scholarships. In 2019, the national champion will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, $1,000 in cash, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour ll; second place will receive at $10,000 college scholarship and $1,000 in cash; third place will receive a $5,000 college scholarship and $1,000 in cash; and seven runners-up will receive $1,000 in cash each. Visit www.natgeobee.org for more information on the National Geographic GeoBee.
Follow the National competition at National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 19-22 at natgeoed.org/experiences.
How would you fare as a National Geographic GeoBee contestant? At the school GeoBees this year, students had to answer questions like these:
At more than 100 miles in length, Long Island is the longest barrier island in which state — Kentucky or New York? (New York)
Which state is closer to the Gulf of Mexico — Virginia or Arkansas? (Arkansas)
It takes about 90 days for a drop of water to travel the length of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River starts in Minnesota and flows 2,340 miles south to its outlet in which state — Louisiana or South Carolina? (Louisiana)
The Magdalena River, the principal river of Colombia, flows through the city of Barranquilla near the Caribbean Sea on which continent? (South America)
Which animal famous for its tusk spends most of the winter months under the sea ice in Baffin Bay between Canada and Greenland — emperor penguin or narwhal? (narwhal)
Which country does not include part of the Kalahari Desert — Namibia, Botswana, or Eritrea? (Eritrea)
Commercial flower bulb production is an important economic activity in what country just north of Belgium? (Netherlands)
Located near the Green Mountains, Montpelier is the capital of which state? (Vermont)
The Alboran Sea and the Ionian Sea are both part of which larger sea? (Mediterranean Sea)