Hickory Creek Middle School Students Participate in Geography Bee

Imagine correctly naming continents after hearing only short clues and answering questions about cultural, U.S. and world geography, all while being watched by the entire student body, teachers and several rows of parents.  This is just what Hickory Creek Middle School sixth through eighth grade students did recently when they participated in the first round of the National Geographic Bee.  Following this stiff competition, the school winner was seventh grader Erik Lynch.

Top scorers who qualified to participate in the school bee included 8th graders Dan Hudziak, Jair Powell, Nick Piunti and Brock Salgado, 7th graders Erik Lynch, Zach Martin and Jake Tencza, and 6th graders Tom Arndt, Ethan Randolph and Nate Warning.  Hickory Creek Middle School teacher sponsor for this program is Linda Thompson. 

Sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the event is held for students in fourth through eighth grades in thousands of schools across the United States, the five U.S. territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools around the world.  The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.

All Hickory Creek students performed well in the school bee, correctly answering several rounds of difficult questions. The school winner will advance to the next level of competition, a written examination to determine the state winner.  State winners are invited to National Geographic headquarters to compete in the national finals in May for scholarships. More information about the event can be found at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/