Star Valley Student Wins Wyoming National Geographic State Bee

Preston Buehler, a Star Valley Middle School seventh-grader, took top honors at last week’s Wyoming National Geographic State Bee held at Casper College.

Hosted by the University of Wyoming Department of Geography, the Wyoming Geographic Alliance and Casper College, a total of 44 fourth- through eighth-grade students competed in the state-level competition.

As the winner, Buehler received $100, the fourth edition of the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Wyoming in the National Geographic Bee Championship May 14-17 at National Geographic Society’s offices.

Second place in the Wyoming competition went to seventh-grader Aidan Coberly, from Upton Middle School; and Adam Carey, Casper Classical Academy, eighth-grade, was the third-place winner.

Up to 100 fourth- to eighth-graders in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Atlantic and Pacific territories, and Department of Defense dependents’ schools took part in local state geographic bees last week.

The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, including a subscription to National Geographic magazine, and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the new National Geographic Endeavour ll.

Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Second- and third-place finishers will receive $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships, respectively.

The national championship preliminary rounds are scheduled Sunday, May 14, and Monday, May 15, in Washington, D.C. The national championship final rounds, featuring the top 10 finalists, will be Wednesday, May 17, and moderated by humorist and journalist Mo Rocca.

National Geographic will air the final round of the National Geographic Bee Championship at 6 p.m. (MST) Friday, May 19. The broadcast will be aired later on public television stations; check local television listings for dates and times.

Interested participants can test their geography knowledge with the “Geo Bee Quiz,” an online geography quiz at www.nationalgeographic.org/bee/study/quiz, which poses 10 new questions each day.

For more information, email Germaine Wagner, Wyoming Geographic Alliance general manager and Wyoming Geography Bee coordinator, at gkwagner@outlook.com.