Earth
Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2015-03-19

 

Alabama’s top geography students will compete in the State Geographic Bee at Samford University Friday, March 27.  The final round of competition will begin at 3 p.m. in Brock Forum, located in Dwight Beeson Hall.

The 102 competitors, all in grades four through eight, represent schools in 25 Alabama counties.  Each qualified for the state competition after winning contests in their schools and placing among the top scorers in Alabama on a test administered by the National Geographic Society.

The winner of Friday’s state competition will receive $100 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the national finals in May.  The national winner will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and other prizes.

The long-standing competition is designed to encourage the study of geography in the classroom and to spark student interest in the subject.

The state competition is hosted by the Samford geography department and its chair, Dr. Eric Fournier.  Sharon Christman of Homewood City Schools is state coordinator. FOX 6 news reporter/anchor Vanessa Araiza will emcee the final round of the event.

Alabama’s 2014 state champion was Christian B. Gonzalez, a student affiliated with Huntsville Area Home Educators. 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.