Kent School District students to compete in state geography bee

Published 5:02 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Two Kent School District seventh-graders will compete in the 2016 National Geographic State Bee on Friday, April 1, at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.

Jonah Ladish-Orlich, who attends Northwood Middle School, and Mattson Middle’s Joshua Maloy are among 100 students who qualified for the state competition through a written test.

The state champion will receive $100 prize, the National Geographic book “The National Parks: An Illustrated History” and a medal, and will travel to Washington, DC, to represent Washington state in the National Geographic Bee Championship at National Geographic Society headquarters from May 22-25. The final round will be moderated by journalist and humorist Mo Rocca. The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.

Erik Miller, a homeschooled student from Kent, won the state bee in 2002 and placed third at the national level that year.