Irvington Middle School Names Geography Bee Champion

IRVINGTON, NY — Ten finalists — students in grades six through eight — waged a spirited competition when they contended with a challenging set of questions during Irvington Middle School’s 11th annual Geography Bee Jan. 18. The students — Graham Adams, Matthew Besidski, Mohun Desai, Toby Gordinier, Stuart Graeber, James Heins, Wilson Lark, Findley McRae, Jordan Platt and Andrew Zhou — had qualified for the competition after earning the highest scores on a written test.

During the Geography Bee, they answered questions covering all facets of geography in the United States and the world before an audience of fellow students, teachers and administrators.

“The IMS community is very proud of all the finalists who participated in our GeoBee,” Irvington Middle School Assistant Principal Allyson Daley said. “Their shared passion, curiosity and knowledge about geography is truly impressive.”

Following an elimination process, Adams and Desai faced off in the final round. Desai, a sixth-grader, was named the runner-up, while Adams, an eighth-grader, became the school champion. Adams will now take a written test for an opportunity to compete at the statewide National Geographic GeoBee in the spring.

“I thought the experience was surreal and had its ups and downs,” Desai said. “Through each question I sometimes felt nervous but excited. Even though I didn’t win, I still felt proud of myself.”

Adams said he too had an incredible experience thanks to the support from the crowd, cheers from his friends and fellow contestants.

“You use that momentum from the crowd and think about how much you’ve already achieved while sitting on the podium,” he said.

The National Geographic GeoBee, organized by the National Geographic Society, is designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world around them.

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Photo caption: From left, Irvington Middle School eighth-grader Graham Adams became the school champion, and sixth-grader Mohun Desai was named the runner-up. Photo credit: Irvington Union Free School District.