Holley students in grades 4 through 8 recently participated in a Geography Bee. This is the third year the district has participated in the event, which is sponsored by the National Geographic Society. This year's champion is eighth grader Barbara Gallets. Her win entitles her to take a qualifying test for the state competition in April. If she scores in the top 100, she will go on to Albany to compete with students from across the state. She won by answering a question about Vatican City correctly. She attributes her win to a keen interest in geography. "I like to look at maps and look up weird things, and I watch the news too," she said. In addition to Gallets, 10 semi-finalists, the top two scorers at each grade level, were named. They are: Brent Kimbler, eighth grade; Jeff Korber and Rebecca Reid, seventh grade; Michael Burrage and Jessi Kimmerly, sixth grade; Sam DeFilipps and Sonia Mendoza, fifth grade; and Elenna Bibby and Zachariah DeLorme, fourth grade. Sonia Mendoza came in second after a tie-breaking championship round. Each semi-finalist received a GeoBee Challenge board game. Gallets also received a $160 National Geographic atlas. February 5, 2006 |
