CLARKSVILLE — Clinton-Massie seventh-grader Sam Binau has been selected as a semifinalist to compete in the 2016 Ohio National Geographic State Bee. The contest will be held April 1 at Grandview Heights High School in Columbus.
During the school bee competition, Binau was called upon to answer questions such as, “For centuries, the Chinese emperors lived in seclusion in the Forbidden City which is located within what present-day city? The correct answer is Beijing.
The second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 28th year, were held throughout the state where fourth- through eighth-grade students competed to earn the title of School Champion. School champions then competed by taking an online test to in order qualify for next round of competition.
From those test results, The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, 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 book “The National Parks: An Illustrated History” and a medal, and will journey to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Geographic Bee Championship at National Geographic Society headquarters May 22-25.
The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. The national champion will also travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, on a Lindblad expedition to Southeast Alaska aboard National Geographic Sea Lion, including Glacier Bay National Park, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.
The 2016 National Geographic Bee Championship final round, moderated for the first time by journalist and humorist Mo Rocca, will air on the National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD on Friday, May 27, at 8 p.m. and later on public television stations.
Additional information regarding the National Geographic Bee and National Geographic, visit www.natgeobee.org and www.nationalgeographic.org.
Information for this article was provided by Diana Miller, who coordinates communications for several area schools.
