By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
On Jan. 12, Charles Griebell, a sixth grader at John Witherspoon Middle School won the School Championship Geography Bee the first round in the 24th annual National Geographic Bee sponsored by Google.
As school champion, he completed the mandatory 70 question multiple choice test. If his score places among the top 100, he will be eligible to go on and compete in the second round on March 30 in the New Jersey Bee in Trenton.
The middle school had nine other finalists who participated in the school-level competition: brothers Alex and Jeremy Cohen, Rachna Ammanamandi, Fia Miller, Hunter Sporn, Evan Fu, Arjun Raguram, Gabe Greenwood and school runner-up Elliot Wailoo.
The finalists were finally shaved down to Charles Griebell and Elliot Wailoo, who stayed neck and neck throughout the championship round right up until the sixth and final question of the single elimination tie-breaking playoff.
The winning answer was “the Aegean Sea,” when asked the question, “The Dardenelles is a narrow strait that connects the Sea of Marmara with what sea just to the southwest?”
State champions will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. provided by the National Geographic Society to participate in the final, national championship of the National Geographic Bee. The first place winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the society and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.
Principal Jason Burr, who prepared his students for the competition by holding an after school club, is proud of the winner.
”We are going to keep getting the club together to hopefully help Charles prepare for the next step and to keep learning from each other,” said Mr. Burr. “I am especially grateful to the kids and the parents who have supported us this year.”
