Perry semifinalist in Geography Bee

by Staff Aroostook Republican
16 years ago
ImageBy Barbara Scott
Staff Writer

    Ricky Perry, a grade seven student at the Caribou Middle School has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is a semifinalist, eligible to compete in the 2010 Maine Geographic Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek.     Perry earned his slot as a semifinalist after competing in the recent CMS Geography Bee, similar to those held throughout the state during which students in grades four through eight display their knowledge of geography.
    Following the initial competition, school-level winners then take a qualifying test, which is submitted to the National Geographic Society. In each of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the department of Defense Dependents Schools and the U.S. territories, the National Geographic Society invited the students with the top 100 scores to compete at the state level.
    The 2010 Maine Geographic Bee will take place at the Abromson Community Education Center on the University of Southern Maine campus in Portland on Friday, April 9.
    The state winner will receive $100, the “National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World,” as well as a trip to Washington, D.C., where he/she will represent Maine in the national finals at the National Geographic Society headquarters, May 25-26.
    The first-place winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship and a lifetime membership in the NGS. The national winner will also travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galapagos Islands, and experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscape of Galapagos. Travel for the national winner’s trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.
    A teacher from the school district of the national winner will receive a trip to attend the Google Geo Teacher Institute in July where he/she will get hands-on experience with Google’s resources and learn about innovative instructional strategies.
    For more information on the National Geographic Bee go to www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee.