Local Student Named Pennsylvania State Geographic Bee Semifinalist

2014 Pennsylvania State Geographic Bee

Sponsored by National Geographic Society, Google and Plum Creek

Semifinalist Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Student Named Pennsylvania State Geographic Bee Semifinalist

By National Geographic Society

Student's Name:  Ben Lilly

Parents' Names:  Mark and Stephanie Lilly            

School Name and Address: Queen of Angels, Willow Grove, PA 19090

Grade Level:  6th 

The above-named student has been notified by the National Geographic Society that (he or she) is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2014 Pennsylvania State Geographic Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek. This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 26th year. Bees were held in schools with fourth-through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school's Bee winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test,

Which they submitted to the National Geographic Society.  The National Geographic Society invited  the students with the top 100 scores in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories to compete at the state level.

The 2014 Pennsylvania State Geographic Bee will be held at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in

Harrisburg on Friday, April4, 2014.

The state winner  will receive  $100, the "Complete National Geographic  on DVD" and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Pennsylvania in the National Geographic Bee finals to be held at National  Geographic Society headquarters, May 19-21, 2014. The national  winner will receive a

$50,000 college scholarship and lifetime  membership in the Society.   The national  winner  will also

travel (along  with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galapagos Islands, where he/she will experience geography firsthand  through  up-close encounters with the islands' unique  wildlife and landscapes. Travel  for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee for more information on the National  Geographic Bee.

National  Geographic Channel and Nat Gee WILD will air the final round  of the 2014 National Geographic Bee, moderated by new host Soledad  O'Brien, on Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. ET (to be followed  on public  television stations). Check local television listings  for date and time in your area,.

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How would you fare as a Bee contestant? At the school-level Bee this year, students had to answer such questions as:

From its source in Minnesota, the Mississippi River flows south about 2,300 miles before emptying into what large gulf?

Gulf of Mexico

A subspecies of brown bear known as the Kodiak bear takes its common name from an island that lies off the southern coast of what state?

Alaska

The Danakil Depression, located in part of the Great Rift Valley, is one of the lowest points on which continent?

Africa

What is the term for the triangular deposit of sediment sometimes found at the mouth of a river­

moraine or delta? Delta

MEDIA NOTE: Prior to the state finals on April 4, press materials with additional infom1ation about the state- and national-level contests will be posted online. To be notified when these materials are available, or for other inquiries, contact Kelsey Flora (kflora@ngs.org I 202-828-8023)  or Farley Fitzgerald (ffitzgerald@ngs.org, I 202-775-6119) with the National Geographic Communications office. You may also contact the state Bee coordinator, Jodi Vender (jvender@psu.edu, 814-863-

57301ofc 814-360-61131cell), for additional information.            ·

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

Founded in 1888,  the National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest  nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. With a mission  to inspire people to care about the planet, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 500 million  people  worldwide each month  through  its media platforms, products and events. National Geographic has funded more than  11,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

Google                                                                                                                                            . Downloaded by over a billion  people around  the globe, Google Earth continues to mesmerize students by placing the world's geographic information on their  computer and at their fingertips. Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on the planet to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, Street View, historical imagery and more! At Google, we believe  that geography education is more critical than ever as the world  becomes a smaller place. Google is excited  to sponsor the 2014 National Geographic Bee.

Plum Creek

Plum  Creek  is the largest and most geographically diverse private landowner in the nation with approximately

6.4 million acres of timberlands in major timber  producing regions of the United States and wood  products manufacturing facilities in the Northwest.