Jason Arndt, jarndt@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Sixth-grader Alex Owen outlasted nine other competitors to win the Bonduel Middle School geography bee, sponsored by National Geographic, Friday.
A sixth-grader won the annual Bonduel Middle School geography bee Friday.
Alex Owen earned the opportunity to compete for a spot in the state bee by outlasting seventh-grader Jackson Krause in the final round.
“Alex is a really nice student and he seems to be a really bright kid, and it seems like he has a love of learning things,” Principal Mark Margelofsky said.
“It feels pretty good to win over the older kids,” Owen said. “I pretty much went on with what I knew, but state capitals are what I am best at.”
Ten students qualified for the bee finals. Other qualifiers were sixth-graders Jack Johnson, Gavin Hoppe and Mitchell Cornette; seventh-graders Monte Cornette, Tristan Tomashek and Jarrett Hillsburg; and eighth-graders Aaron Margolefsky and Jenna Godin.
Krause and Margolefsky also advanced to the school’s finals last year.
Following the holiday break, Owen will take a written exam to see if he can qualify for the state geography bee. Only the top 100 students qualify.
“We have not had anyone advance since 1999, so it has been a long time,” Mark Margelofsky said, noting that Erik Winsand was the last student from Bonduel to advance to the state finals.
Millions of fourth- through eighth-graders, ages 11 to 15, across the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee. Study materials are provided by the National Geographic Society. State winners advance to the national finals.