Local geography buffs advance to state competition

Ten global-minded students have qualified to compete at the Montana National Geographic GeoBee.

Up to 100 of the top-scoring students are invited to compete at state.

Local qualifiers are: fifth-grader Aidan Tull of Kila Elementary School; sixth-graders Trever Cockerill of Kalispell Middle School, Margo Cummings of Kalispell Montessori Center and Lucretia Reynolds of Eureka Middle School; seventh-graders Levi Freund of Fair-Mont-Egan School and Dean Sheldon of Stillwater Christian School; and eighth-graders Gwendolynn Jarvis of Columbia Falls Junior High School, Tirzah Lamb of Flathead Home Educators Association, Michael Manning of St. Matthew’s Catholic School and Jaeoden Scott of Olney-Bissell School.

To qualify, students in fourth through eighth grade won school-level geography bees with the champion taking a qualifying test.

The state competition will be held on March 29. The state champion will receive $1,000 in cash and a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete at the national GeoBee on May 19-22.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.