Saxe Middle School Students Compete In National Geographic Bee

From Saxe Middle School:Saxe Middle School students competed in the 2019 National Geographic Society’s National Geographic Bee, held earlier this month on the stage of Saxe Middle School Auditorium.

Ten students, grades 5-8, answered questions about the world’s geography. This year’s finalist participants were Kole Bavoso (7), Drew Bench (7), Gigi Caldero (7), Jake Donohue (6), Rowan Richey Elliott (5), Niyathi Iyengar (5), Rhea Jha (6), Will Langford (7), Adrian McMahon (7), and Chris Michelini (8).

Honorable Mention candidates were Alberto Osio Carrasco (8), Emily Fox (8), Kaleb Oldford (5), and Anuj Ogale (6). Avery Morawa (8), who qualified as a finalist, was unable to participate.

This year’s winner is 5th grader Rowan Richey Elliot, who advances to the next level of the competition, a qualifying test to determine state competitors. This was the third consecutive year Saxe Middle School students competed in the contest. Faculty coordinators included Christina Fulco, 6th Grade Social Studies, and Andrew Fusci, 8th Grade U.S. History Teacher. Runners up included Drew Bench, who has reached the finals in all 3 years, and Will Langford, 2018’s runner-up, who reached the finals twice (2018, 2019). Other two-time finalists were: Chris Michelini (2018, 2019), Kole Bavoso (2017, 2019), Adrian McMahon (2018, 2019), and Jake Donohue (2018, 2019).

All school champions are eligible to win the national championship and its first prize, a $50,000 college scholarship, at the national championship May 19-22, 2019 in Washington, D.C. The National Geographic Bee is designed for students in the fourth through eighth grades and takes place in thousands of schools across the United States and in the five U.S. Territories, as well as in Department of Defense Dependents Schools around the world.

Images via Saxe Middle School