 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Geography champion heads to state finals
By LOGAN NEILL © St. Petersburg Times, published April 5, 2001 For Hernando Christian Academy eighth-grader Jacob Bowe, the news that he has a shot at winning the state National Geographic Bee this weekend has still failed to completely sink in. "I'm still pretty amazed by the whole thing," said the 14-year-old last week, shortly after he learned he will be among 100 students statewide invited to attend the Friday event in Jacksonville. At first, he was uncertain he could even get through the first round of his school's qualifying contest. After all, lots of his classmates are natural geography whizzes. And though he enjoys studying the subject at school, he wondered if he knew enough to even compete in the first round. However, by the end of the school-level event in December, Jacob was the last of 30 participants still standing. Although he considers math his best subject, geography and history have always ranked high on Jacob's list during his years at Hernando Christian. He's good at remembering dates and reading maps. But when it came to recalling fairly simple geography facts during the school bee, he admits he skated by a couple of times. He remembers one incident when a competitor was asked to identify a Mediterranean country surrounded by water. Even though it wasn't his question, Jacob was stumped. "I thought and thought about it," he recalled. "Anyway, the correct answer was Greece, and I said to myself, 'Why didn't I know that?' " After claiming victory in his school bee, Jacob also had to take a written test to qualify for the state bee. Should he win there, he'll be eligible for an all-expense-paid trip to the national competition in Washington D.C. The winner there will collect a $25,000 scholarship. Meanwhile, Jacob says that studying up on the subject about 30 minutes each day has helped build his confidence. He just hopes he can keep his nerves in check. "It's a lot harder in front of a big crowd," he said. "I know there will be a lot smarter people there than me, so I just hope I can remember all the things I have to remember. And of course, have some luck, too." NAME: Jacob Bowe AGE: 14 SCHOOL: Hernando Christian Academy PARENTS: Alan Bowe and Lori Castonguay FAVORITE SUBJECT: Math HOBBIES: Fishing, baseball
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Hernando Times |
