Pelham Students Participate in National Geographic Bee

From Pelham Public Schools: Eighth grader Vikram Jallepalli took home first place among Pelham students in the National Geographic Bee, an annual competition organized by the National Geographic Society.

Finishing in second place was seventh grader Emma Koonce and eighth grader Isaac Blackburn placed third.

“I was very surprised I even made it to the school round and I’m surprised that I won, but now I’m looking forward to moving on,” said Vikram, who counts social studies as one of his favorite subjects along with science and math.

The contest, in which students are asked questions about different locations around the globe, is designed to inspire and reward students' curiosity about the world. All seventh and eighth graders in Pelham Middle School participate in the contest, along with thousands of schools across the U.S.

Vikram will next take a qualifying exam in January and if he is among the top 100 scorers in New York, he will move on to the state competition.

Photo courtesy of Pelham Public Schools