Tyler Mason gained the opportunity to take a qualifying test, which determines which NJ students will move on to the State Bee on April 6.
Chestnut Ridge Middle School celebrated geography knowledge during early 2018, as students competed in the 2018 National Geographic Bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society.
Beginning with first-round classroom competitions and tie-breakers, the Bee progressed to grade-level championships before culminating in a school-championship round. Tyler Mason, the eighth-grade champion, won the school competition after competing against grade seven winner Jake Lafferty, and grade six winner Dan Borys.
With his win, Mason gained the opportunity to take a qualifying test, which determines which 100 students across the state of New Jersey move on to the State Bee on April 6.
The winner of the state Bee wins an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the Bee’s national championship round May 20 to May 23. The national champion will garner several prizes, including a $50,000 college scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.
“I have always had an interest in geography. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always liked geography. Probably around third or fourth grade, I really started enjoying learning about the states and other countries,” Mason, the son of Christopher and Stephanie Mason, said,
Mason credits his geographic knowledge to lessons from his social studies classes and information he has learned from his dad, a former history teacher.
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