# U.S. National Geography Bee Winners [By State]



## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

These winners will represent their state in the 2007 [U.S] National Geography Bee in Washington D.C. [May 19-26]


2007 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE
STATE WINNERS
ALABAMA
Matthew Riggle, 7th Grade
St. John the Baptist Catholic School, Madison

ALASKA
Andrew Lee, 8th Grade
Interior Distance Education of Alaska, Anchorage

ARIZONA
Nathan Tappendorf, 6th Grade
Eastside Explorers Homeschool, Phoenix

ARKANSAS
Jason Saunders, 8th Grade 
Home Educators of Greater Little Rock, Little Rock

CALIFORNIA
Mitchell Mankin, 8th Grade
Brandeis Hillel Day School, San Francisco

COLORADO
José de la Peña, 8th Grade
CHEC, Colorado Springs

CONNECTICUT
Gregory Naigles, 8th Grade
Tolland Middle School, Tolland

DELAWARE
Daniel Barnes, 8th Grade
Springer Middle School, Wilmington

DEPT. OF DEFENSE
*Andrew Hartford*, 8th Grade
Lakenheath Middle School, East Anglia, UK

DISRTICT OF COLUMBIA
Benjamin Geyer, 7th Grade
British School of Washington

FLORIDA
Michael Aquilia, 8th Grade
Farnell Middle School, Tampa

GEORGIA
Kaj Hansen, 8th Grade
Carrollton Junior High, Carrollton

HAWAII
Isolde Callihan, 8th Grade
Hawaii Island Christian Home Educators, Hilo

IDAHO
Brandon Smith, 6th Grade
Ellis Elementary, Chubbuck

ILLINOIS
Zachary Blumenfeld, 8th Grade
Daniel Wright Junior High, Lincolnshire

INDIANA
Erik Troske, 7th Grade
Barker Middle, Michigan City

IOWA
Derek Hofland, 8th Grade
Sanborn Christian School, Sanborn

KANSAS
Suneil Iyer, 7th Grade
Indian Trail Junior High, Olathe

KENTUCKY
Solomon Mayer, 8th Grade
Sayre School, Lexington

LOUISIANA
Amal de Alwis, 5th Grade
SLU Laboratory School, Hammond

MAINE
John Walsh, 8th Grade
Harrison Middle, Yarmouth

MARYLAND
Raynell Cooper, 8th Grade
Julius West Middle School, Rockville

MASSACHUSETTS
Christopher Hart, 8th Grade
Westfield South Middle, Westfield

MICHIGAN
Daniel Elkus, 8th Grade
Cranbrook Kingswood Boys Middle, Bloomfield Hills

MINNESOTA
Andrew Ford, 8th Grade
St. Louis Park Junior High, St. Louis Park

MISSISSIPPI
Devi Swamy, 8th Grade
Madison Middle, Madison

MISSOURI
Hannah Goodman, 8th Grade
S.H.A.R.E. Homeschool, St. Louis
MONTANA
Shawn Belobraidic, 8th Grade
Bonner School, Bonner

NEBRASKA
Andrew Vinton, 7th Grade
St. Patrick School, North Platte

NEVADA
William Niday, 8th Grade
Carson Valley Middle, Gardnerville

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Milan Sandhu, 7th Grade
McKelvie Middle, Bedford

NEW JERSEY
Rachel McEnroe, 8th Grade
Oak Hill Academy, Lincroft

NEW MEXICO
Sam Waitt, 6th Grade
Rio Grande School, Santa Fe

NEW YORK
Josh Shih, 8th Grade
C.J. Hooker Middle, Goshen

NORTH CAROLINA
Tahsin Zaman, 8th Grade
Daniels Middle, Raleigh

NORTH DAKOTA
James Penrod, 8th Grade
Memorial Middle, Minot

OHIO
Jon Moller, 8th Grade
Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati

OKLAHOMA
Tyler Bowen, 8th Grade
Lakeview Middle, Yukon

OREGON
Michael Ling, 7th grade
Meadow Park Middle, Beaverton

PACIFIC TERRITORIES
Samuel Wolborsky, 8th Grade
Andersen Middle, Guam

PENNSYLVANIA
Andrew Nadig, 8th Grade
Manheim Township Middle, Lancaster

PUERTO RICO
Francisco Vargas, 8th Grade
St. John's School, San Juan

RHODE ISLAND
Samuel Curry, 7th Grade
Broad Rock Middle, Wakefield

SOUTH CAROLINA
Trey Dendrinos, 8th Grade
Forest Acres Christian Educators, West Columbia

SOUTH DAKOTA
Alex Larson, 8th Grade
Vermillion Middle, Vermillion

TENNESSEE
Mark Arildsen, 7th Grade
University School of Nashville, Nashville

TEXAS
Jiawei Li, 8th Grade
Beck Junior High, Katy

UTAH
Kennen Sparks, 6th Grade
Windridge Elementary, Kaysville

VERMONT
Taylor Horn, 8th Grade
Leland and Gray Union Middle School, Townshend

VIRGINIA
Partha Narasimhan, 6th Grade
Mercer Middle, Aldie

VIRGIN ISLANDS
Muta Abiff, 7th Grade
Addelita Cancryn Junior High, St. Thomas

WASHINGTON
Caitlin Snaring, 8th Grade
Family Learning Center, Redmond

WEST VIRGINIA
Benjamin Taylor, 5th Grade
Monongalia Homeschoolers Association, Morgantown

WISCONSIN
Bjorn Ager-Hart, 8th Grade
FISH Home Education Network, Madison

WYOMING
Kirsi Anselmi Stith, 5th Grade
Holy Spirit School, Rock Springs


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## Insomniac (Sep 11, 2002)

Hey I was in this when I was in middle school (can't remember if it was 7th or 8th grade year). I lost at the state level though, I remember they had the competition at UNA (University of North Alabama) in Florence. They have a beautiful campus.


I'm not surprised that a kid from Madison won Alabama's competition. It's a very well off suburb of Huntsville. I would suspect that someone from either Huntsville or Birmingham would win the state competition, as that is where the state's best schools are.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Andrew Hartford. :lol:


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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

Right, but why is this thread actually HERE and not in the US section?


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

^^ Oops, That is where I meant to put it.

A girl named Caitlin Snaring from Washington won this year's geo bee.













*SEATTLE - A Redmond 14-year-old won the National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.*

The annual event is hosted by Jeapordy's Alex Trebek and National Geographic Magazine. 

Caitlin Snaring takes home a $25,000 college scholarship, $500 in prize money, and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. 

This was Caitlin's second time representing Washington state at the competition which challenges 10-to-14-year-old knowledge of geography, culture and geology. Last year she was eliminated in the preliminary round. Her father, David Snaring, said she started studying for the 2007 bee the day after her loss. She even studied while attending her brother's baseball games, he said. 

"I knew that I had one of the upper hands in this competition," she said Wednesday. "I studied so much. I knew everything i could possibly study. I knew practically every question here upstage. Once it came to my seat at this bottom, I was like, 'OK, this category I can get.'" 

This time around, Caitlin did not miss a single question in two days of intense competition. 

The only girl in this year's competition, Caitlin is the second female champion in the bee's 19-year history. 

"I don't know why more girls aren't interested in geography," she told reporters after winning the championship round. "I wanted a girl winner this year." 

Fifty-five participants between fifth and eighth grade came to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national bee. They represented the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Pacific Territories and the Department of Defense dependent schools. The group was narrowed down to 10 finalists during the first round of competition Tuesday. 

Here's the winning question and answer: 

"What city, divided by a river of the same name, was the imperial capital of Vietnam?" 

The answer is Hue (way).


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

Insomniac said:


> Hey I was in this when I was in middle school (can't remember if it was 7th or 8th grade year). I lost at the state level though, I remember they had the competition at UNA (University of North Alabama) in Florence. They have a beautiful campus.
> 
> 
> I'm not surprised that a kid from Madison won Alabama's competition. It's a very well off suburb of Huntsville. I would suspect that someone from either Huntsville or Birmingham would win the state competition, as that is where the state's best schools are.


Nice. Yeah the Huntsville area seems like one of the best areas of Alabama. 

I'm moving to Prattville in 1 year.


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

TenRot said:


> Andrew Hartford. :lol:


Haha, I admit it.

I'm just some ignorant 9th grade teen American...


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

I had fun in Washington. I met Alex Trebek. 

I toured around the city with my parents in our free time. Visited the main sites...
Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, Smithsonian [Native American, Natural History, and Air and Space], Capitol Building, Library of Congress, etc. Then we went to Arlington National Cemetary. Very touching.

It was good to be back in the U.S. The city was nice! It was very clean and I think it represents are country very well. Passed through Philadelphia, only at the airport though. Got a glimpse of the Comcast Center u/c. Coming along well! Philly's skyline was great! I like it.


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## Rapid (May 31, 2004)

what the hell?

Department of Defence? There are high schools at foreign bases?
Someone please explain.


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## cinosanap (Aug 10, 2004)

The winning question was easy. Maybe just because I have played Battlefield Vietnam, though.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

macon4ever said:


> Haha, I admit it.
> 
> I'm just some ignorant 8th grade teen American...


I thought it was funny because I live in *Hartford*. 

Good job though. When I took the school Geography Bee back then, I almost made it...but I messed up on, what state was the battle of Bull Run in...I know now, Virginia.


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

TenRot said:


> I thought it was funny because I live in *Hartford*.
> 
> Good job though. When I took the school Geography Bee back then, I almost made it...but I messed up on, what state was the battle of Bull Run in...I know now, Virginia.


Thanks


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

Rapid said:


> what the hell?
> 
> Department of Defence? There are high schools at foreign bases?
> Someone please explain.


What the hell...??

Of course there are schools overseas, where would all of the American kids go to school?

In Germany there are over 40,000 American students. They are mainly around Ramstein Air Base and the Kaiserslautern American Military Community.

There are only around 5,000 American students in the U.K.

In Japan and Korea, there are about 5,000 a piece also. And there are tons of Dodds schools in the U.S. also. 


There's an American DoDDs school in most of the American Embassy Compounds around the world.


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

My mother and I at the Geo Bee finals. 










The winner [Caitlin Snaring] was on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Late Show, CNN, etc.
I talked to her alot during the competition, I knew she was going to win. She was studying until the last minute. At breakfast the day of the competition, she had a huge binder and was leafing through it frantically. She studied 6 hrs. a day for just geography. She was very brainy, but kind.


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## Hanshin-Tigress (Apr 10, 2007)

^^ Whats your ancestry


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

Korean, Scottish, English, Ulster, German, [Canadian].

My English ancestry explains my last name.


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## Hanshin-Tigress (Apr 10, 2007)

Im guessing your are korean/european instead 1/5 korean. You have to be at least 50% korean cuz you look asian.


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## Audiomuse (Dec 20, 2005)

^^ Yes, I am 50% Korean and 50% of a mixture of Scottish, German, English, and Ulster ancestry.


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## Æsahættr (Jul 9, 2004)

I was in this, but I lost during the 2nd round 
I was really mad, mine was some obscure question about some river in Siberia and the next person's question was "What is the name of the current in the Atlantic Ocean that warms most of Western Europe and Eastern North America?"

ahhhhh wtffff! haha


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