Geography Greatness!
Sixth-Grader Madison Bailey Wins Geography Bee Championship at Chestnut Ridge Middle School
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Chestnut Ridge Middle School has been celebrating geography knowledge, as students competed in the 2019 National Geographic Bee, sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Beginning with first-round classroom competitions and tie-breakers in December, the Bee progressed to grade level championships before culminating in a school championship round on January 4th.
Madison Bailey, the sixth-grade champion, won the school competition after defeating seventh-grade champ Trent Phillips and eighth-grade winner Ilexia Navarro. With her win, Bailey gains the opportunity to take a qualifying test to determine which 100 students across the state of New Jersey move on to the state Geo Bee on March 29th. The winner of the state bee wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national championship round from May 19-22, 2019. The national champion will garner several prizes, including a $25,000 college scholarship, $1,000 in cash, and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.
“I was first interested in geography when I started 4th grade - it was fun to learn about the different regions of the world and how the different regions affected how people in those areas survived,” said Bailey, the daughter of Frank and Christine Bailey. “I feel that geography will be an important factor in my future because it will help me develop a deeper understanding of the world around me.”
Bailey credits her geographic knowledge to lessons from her social studies and world language classes.
“One important factor that has helped me better understand geography were a few of the teachers I've had this year - like Mrs. Michelle Maccarella and Mr. Scott Mitchell,” Bailey said. “Both of these teachers have helped me better understand parts of the world I've never truly looked into before to develop further information.”
In the top photo, CRMS Geography Bee top three finishers pose(left to right): Ilexia Navarro (grade 8 champion), Madison Bailey (grade 6 and overall champ) and Trent Phillips (grade 8 winner).
-WTPS -