IUPUI to Host 2006 State Geographic Bee on
March 31

INDIANAPOLIS – About 100 fourth- to eighth-graders from across Indiana will compete in the 2006 State Geographic Bee on March 31, 2006, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The winner will represent Indiana in the national contest in Washington, D.C. in May.

The quiz-show-style final round of the state competition, open to the public, will begin at 2:15 p.m. at Lecture Hall, Room 101, located at 325 University Blvd. on the IUPUI campus. WTHR (Channel 13) meteorologist Chris Wright is scheduled to host the championship round.

The state contest is the second level of competition in the National Geographic Bee organized annually by the National Geographic Society as an educational program to promote students’ skills and knowledge about all aspects of geography. Students in the state competition were the first place winners in their school-level contests and scored in the top 101 on a written exam.

Prizes for the first, second and third place winners at the Indiana competition include $100, $75, and $50 respectively. The first-place winner also receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition May 23-24. The national winner will receive a $25,000 scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.

For additional information, including a complete list of the students in the Indiana State Geographic Bee, go to http://www.iupui.edu/~geni/.