Two Michigan City Area Schools middle school students have been notified by the National Geographic Society that they are semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2016 Indiana National Geographic State Bee.
Evan Ewy, an eighth grader at Barker Middle School, and Michael Lakin, a seventh grader at Krueger Middle School, will compete in the contest on Friday, April 1 at IUPUI in Indianapolis.
This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 28th year. School Bees were held in middle schools across the state to determine each school champion. School champions then took an online qualifying test. 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, 2016. 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. Visit www.natgeobee.org for more information on the National Geographic Bee.
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. ET, and later on public television stations. Check local television listings for air date and time.
How would you fare as a Bee contestant? At the school Bees this year, students had to answer such questions as:
To fish in Lake Winnipesaukee [wi-neh-peh-SAW-kee] and ski near Franconia Notch, you would travel to which state—New Hampshire or South Dakota? - New Hampshire
Visitors to Biscayne National Park in Florida can go fishing and lobstering along the shore of which kind of habitat—mangrove or desert? - Mangrove
Sea kayakers can explore hundreds of islands off the Dalmatian coast of which European country south of Slovenia? - Croatia
For centuries, the Chinese emperors lived in seclusion in the Forbidden City, which is located within what present-day city? - Beijing
ABOUT THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
National Geographic is a global nonprofit membership organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world. We fund hundreds of research and conservation projects around the globe each year. With the support of our members and donors, we work to inspire, illuminate and teach through scientific expeditions, award-winning journalism, education initiatives and more. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.org.