2006 Geography Bee
by Beth Rowen
Bonny Jain wasn’t always a geography whiz. In fact, in
his first geography competition, he placed second in his school. The
eighth-grader from Moline, Illinois, has come a long way since that 2002
contest. He represented Illinois at the National Geographic Bee in May 2005
and won first place, taking home a $25,000 scholarship and a lifetime
membership in the National Geographic Society. It was his second consecutive
appearance at the competition. He placed fourth in 2005.
After the
field was narrowed to two finalists, Jain won by correctly naming the
mountains that extend across much of Wales, from the Irish Sea to the
Bristol Channel. Answer: the Cambrian Mountains.
The national
geography bee was open to 55 contestants: one from each state, plus one
apiece from Washington, D.C.; Pacific Territories; Puerto Rico; the Virgin
Islands; and U.S. Department of Defense schools. The final round, for the
top ten finalists, was moderated by Alex Trebek, host of the popular game
show Jeopardy! It was broadcast live on the National Geographic
Channel.
Neeraj Sirdeshmukh, 14, from Nashua, New Hampshire, came in
second. He won a $15,000 college scholarship. Third-place contestant,
Yeshwanth Kandimalla, 13, of Marietta, Georgia, won a $10,000 college
scholarship. The other seven finalists won $500 each.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
