Geography is a demanding discipline as stumped students of the Edgartown School discovered on Tuesday morning at the schoolwide geography bee. But while the Thousand Islands Bridge and Wabash River eluded school geo-buffs, by correctly placing Tianjin in China, eighth grader Charlie Morano will now enjoy the grand prize of another written test and a chance to qualify for the National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C.
For almost 15 years the Edgartown School has taken part in the National Geographic Bee, thanks in large part to the efforts of teacher Gary Smith.
“He puts it all together weeks and months in advance, schedules it and gets all of these things in order so that we can enjoy the bee,” said Edgartown School principal John Stevens.
On Tuesday morning the school gym was filled to the rafters with bleary-eyed students who came to cheer on their geographically-inclined classmates.
From the beginning moderator Barbara Reynolds let the students know that the National Geographic committee meant business.
“Do not use Holland as a synonym for the country Netherlands,” she said, “and do not use England for the country the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
After a difficult first round which saw the 10 contestants from grades four to eight confounded by the Cahokia Mounds, Muskegon and Lookout Mountain, Mrs. Reynolds had a word of encouragement.
“Take a breath,” she instructed the contestants, the youngest of whom were massaging their aching foreheads. The whole school joined in with an exaggerated exhalation.
After Hannibal, Missouri, Kilimanjaro and Breaks Interstate Park whittled down the field, seventh grader Olivia Green-Lingren squared off against eighth grader Charlie Morano in the championship. Both showed their mettle by identifying Alexandria in Egypt but Charlie won the day with his familiarity with the jewel of the Haihe River. The crowd erupted and then filed off to homeroom. Meanwhile the contestants were handed shiny new atlases, the indispensable tool of the geographer’s craft.
“I’m glad I was up here reading and not answering some of those questions,” Mrs. Reynolds said afterwards. If Mr. Morano qualifies for the national bee in Washington, D.C., a $25,000 scholarship is at stake.
In this age of Google Earth, geography may seem a forgotten art but Mr. Smith still sees it as a vital civic duty to study maps.
“So you can win $25,000,” he said laughing. “No, geography and history go hand in hand. If you know one, you know the other.”
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