Sixth and seventh graders competed in classroom bees in late November and early December for the right to vie in the school Geography Bee championship on Dec.19, sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

Participants were sixth graders, Camille Arnaiz, Lucy Gentry and Joy Libarios, and seventh graders, Monica Kenny, Ashley Pak, Kira Stone and Ava Williams. Coaches for the event were sixth grade teacher Griffith Jurgens and high school social studies teacher, Whitney Miyahira.

Miyahira said, “The point of the bee is to encourage students to have fun and have an interest in geography. Students were encouraged to play the online Geo Bee quizzes and many even downloaded the Geo Bee app which features maps, games and quizzes.”

Stone said, “I prepared for the Geography Bee by getting a few books from the library. I looked through the encyclopedia to study and downloaded an app that includes all the world capitals. I felt quite prepared, but I wished that I studied a little bit earlier.”

Miyahira said, “The Geography Bee is an intense competition and one has to have a genuine interest in geography to excel.”

Stone said, “I had a lot of fun participating in our school’s event because I gained a lot of knowledge about geography and it made me want to try harder next year. Winning my class bee and going on to the school Geography Bee was a big accomplishment for me.”

After five rounds, Gentry was named the winner of the school competition. She will now compete against students from around the state in April. Second and third place winners were Kenny and Libarios.