Press Release

Contact:
Barbara Laskin
651-696-6203

Minneapolis Student Wins 2008 MN State Geographic Bee

April 4, 2008 - Cody DuBois, a seventh-grade student from Emerson Spanish Immersion Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minn., won first place in the 2008 Minnesota finals of the National Geographic Bee held today at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.  DuBois received a $100 cash prize and a globe. His teacher, Elizabeth Eposito, received a world atlas and a globe for the school.

DuBois will represent Minnesota at the National Geographic Bee, May 20-21, 2008, in Washington, D.C. The national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second and third-place finishers will receive $15,000 and $10,000 college scholarships. The National Geographic state event is sponsored by Plum Creek.

Apekshya Panda, a sixth-grade student at Wayzata West Middle School in Wayzata, Minn., was the second-place winner. Panda received a $75 prize and a globe. Her teacher, Clark Doten, received a world atlas. 

Coming in third place was Aditya Ronanki, a fourth-grade student at Shannon Park Elementary School in Rosemount, Minn. Ronanki received a $50 prize and a globe.  His teacher, Terri Grothe, received a world atlas.
           
All Geographic Bee participants received T-shirts and certificates.    

This year’s winning question was: “Tourists visiting Da Nang are drawn by beautiful beaches and museums and landmarks of the Cham culture.  Name the long, narrow Asian country where Da Nang is located.”  Answer: Vietnam.
 
One hundred one fourth through eighth graders from schools around the state competed in the preliminary round, answering a variety of world geography questions from a panel of judges. The top 10 students advanced to the final round. The tournament included oral and written questions. KARE-11 News Anchor Julie Nelson moderated the final round of this year’s competition.

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,873 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, diversity and civic engagement.