By Jeff Lipton
Or that the Ovambo ethnic group, Namibia¹s largest, lives predominately in the northern part of the country bordering the Atlantic Ocean?
These are just a sampling of the mind-numbing questions posed to participants in the 19th annual National Geography Bee. One of these contestants, Jason Kappel, an 8th-grader at Lincoln Orens Middle School in Island Park, finished third in the statewide competition in Albany last Friday.
The 14-year-old won the school-level competition of the 2007 National Geography Bee for the third year in a row, vaulting him to the state finals. The final round of the school-wide competition took place on Dec. 21, with Jason finishing in first place, 8th-grader James Morrone in second and Gonzalo Quinones, a 5th-grader, in third.
The event is sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the world¹s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization, and JP Morgan Chase.
Geographic Bees were held in schools with fourth through eighth grade students in each state throughout the United States to determine individual school winners. The school-level winners then took a qualifying written exam and the top 100 scorers in each state were invited to compete in the state finals at the New York State Museum in Albany.
The National Geographic Society provides an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to the first-place winner from each state to participate in the National Geographic Bee national championship to be held on May 22-23. The first-place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship and a lifetime membership in the society.
The bee is designed to test a student¹s knowledge of geography in the broadest sense, including questions on region, culture, religions, populations, economic activities and political systems. The format calls for brief answers, usually only a word or phrase and may require interpretations of maps, graphs and photographs.
Lincoln Orens social studies teachers Dean Bacigalupo and Diane Tully helped Jason prepare for the competition.
³We¹re all so proud of him,² Lincoln Orens Principal Dr. Thalia Venditti said of Jason. ³His knowledge of geography has impressed us from the early grades. It is just phenomenal.²
She said the questions posed to competitors in the Geography Bee are extremely hard, even difficult for an adult to answer.
³It is extremely competitive,² the principal said of the Geography Bee. ³The level of play is very high, but we knew that Jason would make a good showing for us.²
Jason¹s mother, Tenley Kappel, said her son exhibited a strong interest in geography since the age of nine, when he was given a Junior Atlas and started studying it. His uncle then gave him a National Geographic Atlas. ³He used to spend quite a bit of time looking at it,² Jason¹s mom said.
Even though geography is a strength of his, Jason is a very well-rounded student who also exceeds in math and plays the trumpet as well.
³He¹s a great kid and extremely talented,² said Jacques Blain, dean of students at Lincoln Orens. ³He¹s one of 400 kids at the school and to have him win the competition three years in a row is remarkable.²
Jason¹s father Jeff Kappel accompanied his son to the state finals in Albany. Jason¹s parents also have been credited with their son¹s success, taking a very active role in his education.
³We¹re very proud of Jason,² his mom said.
Comments about this story? Jlipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
