Parsippany to Palau: Eighth Grader Wins Geography Bee, Chance at $50K Scholarship

If you want to dance at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival celebration, what country are you traveling to? Want to see a show in Beijing? What country is your flight headed to?

Those and other geography questions were posed to 11 finalists at Central Middle School in Parsippany Monday in a knockout tournament that crowned a single champion in the first round of the 27th Annual National Geographic Bee.

The winner, eighth-grader Sejal Murthy, will now take a written test. As many as 100 of the top scorers on that test in each state will then be eligible to compete in their respective state Bee on March 27, 2015, with their eyes set on the national finals.

The event was coordinated by social studies department lead teacher Casey Maass.

Pictured: Vicky Santana, Sejal Murthy, and Casey Maass in photo one; Central Middle School Principal Gary Borges and the 11 finalists in photo two. Photo Courtesy Casey Maass.