Local Student Named Ohio National Geographic State Bee Semifinalist by National Geographic Society

Michael Ward will once again compete at the State Geographic Bee in Columbus.

Michael Ward, an eighth grader at Ss. Robert and William Catholic School, has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2017 Ohio National Geographic State Bee. The contest will be held at The Fawcet Center in Columbus on Friday, March 31, 2017.

This is Michael’s second year attending the State Geographic Bee in Columbus. Michael is a three-time winner of the school Geography Bee at Ss. Robert and William in Euclid, winning in his fifth, seventh and eighth grade years. Michael earned the runner up title in his sixth and third grade years.

This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 29th year. School Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school champion. School champions then took a qualifying test, which they 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 Bees.

Each state champion will receive $100, the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World, 4th Edition and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 14-17, 2017. The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the Society, including a subscription to National Geographic magazine, and an all expenses paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the new National Geographic Endeavour ll. Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Visit www.natgeobee.org for more information on the National Geographic Bee.

The National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD will air the 2017 National Geographic Bee Championship, moderated by journalist and humorist Mo Rocca, on Friday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ET. Public television stations will broadcast the final round at a later date. Check local television listings for the air date and time in your area.

How would you fare as a Bee contestant? At the school Bees this year, students had to answer questions like these:

The North Platte and South Platte Rivers meet in which state—New Mexico or Nebraska?
Nebraska

Which landmark in Washington, D.C., was burned by the British in 1814—the Washington Monument or the White House?
White House

Sea otters sometimes wrap themselves in kelp when resting to keep from drifting away. Sea otters can be found near eastern Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk in which ocean?
Pacific Ocean

The island of Mauritius [maw-RISH-uhs] in the Indian Ocean has multicolored sand dunes. It’s weird, but it’s true! Mauritius lies off the southeast coast of which continent that includes the Kalahari Desert?
Africa

What is the term for an underground layer of rock that holds groundwater—an arroyo or an aquifer?
aquifer

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

The National Geographic Society is a leading nonprofit that invests in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and education. We support educators to ensure that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global understanding. We aspire to create a community of change, advancing key insights about our planet and probing some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time. Our goal is measurable impact: furthering exploration and educating people around the world to inspire solutions for the greater good. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.org.