Marietta Seventh Grader to Represent Georgia in National Geographic Bee

Sahr Singh, a seventh grader from Marietta, is among 54 of the nation’s brightest young geography brainiacs that will gather in Washington, D.C., from May 22 to 24 to take part in the 24th annual National Geographic Bee.

The fourth- through eighth-graders, ranging in age from 10 to 14, will be competing for the 2012 Bee crown and three scholarships worth $50,000. 

The National Geographic Bee champion will win the top prize of a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers will be awarded college scholarships of $15,000 and $10,000.

Additionally, the national winner will travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos to experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscape of the islands on an expedition aboard the National Geographic Endeavour. Travel for the Galápagos voyage is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.

The 54 finalists, winners of their state-level geographic bees, have beaten millions of students to earn a place in the national contest. They represent the 50 states, District of Columbia, Atlantic Territories, Pacific Territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools.

The preliminary round of the 2012 National Geographic Bee will take place on Tuesday, May 22. The top 10 finalists will each win $500 and advance to the final round on Thursday, May 24, which will be moderated by “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek.

National Geographic Channel (NGC) will air the final round on May 24 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. This two-hour primetime special will be simulcast on NGC and Nat Geo WILD. The Bee also will air later on public broadcasting stations.

“National Geographic’s mission is to inspire people to care about planet," John Fahey, National Geographic Society chairman and CEO, said in a press release. "Through the National Geographic Bee and everything else we do at the Society, we hope to foster a lifelong passion for learning about the wonders of Earth and its diverse lands and cultures.”

The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States.

The National Geographic GeoBee Challenge app, with more than 1,000 questions culled from past Bees, is available from the App Store on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, or in the Android Market.

The 2011 National Geographic Bee champion was Tine Valencic, 13, a seventh-grader at Colleyville Middle School in Colleyville, a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas.

The winning question was: “Thousands of mountain climbers and trekkers rely on Sherpas to aid their ascent of Mount Everest. The southern part of Mount Everest is located in which Nepalese national park?” 

Answer: Sagarmatha National Park.