From the ocean depths to the mountain peaks and every land mass in between, the 2026 MICDS Middle School Geography Bee turned Mary Eliot Chapel into a global arena last Friday. The road to the finals began several weeks ago with a challenging pre-test for all fifth through eighth graders. The field was further narrowed through grade-level Bees before the “elite eight” finalists finally took the stage to prove who truly knows their way around the world.
The bee was moderated by Middle School History Teacher Michael “Fitz” Fitzgerald and judged by Middle School History Teachers Berta Simic and Blake Whitney. Middle School Math Teachers Cameron Youngman and Steve Looten helped facilitate the contestant rounds. Congratulations to the following contestants, two from each grade level in the Middle School, who made it to the final competition:
- Jeremy Jia ’33
- Ayushi Thapa ’33
- Lucas Li ’32
- Ria Natarajan ’32
- Luke Giles ’31
- Antoine Laforest-Jing ’31
- Spencer Kriegel ’30
- Daphne Skemer ’30
In the first round, each student answered the same 10 questions on paper. After the question was repeated twice, contestants had 15 seconds to record their answers. After all participants answered, Fitz revealed the correct answer. At the end of the 10 questions, the contestants cycled through an unprecedented four tiebreaker rounds on whiteboards to get to the final three for the Championship Round. A big congratulations to Li, Kriegel, and Skemer for making it to the final round of the competition!
The Championship Round consisted of three questions. The moderator asked all finalists the same question at the same time, and once “time” was called, the competitors put down their markers and held up their whiteboards. Whoever correctly answered the most questions in the set of three was declared the school champion.
Congratulations to the 2026 MICDS Middle School Geography Bee winner, sixth-grader Lucas Li, who went three-for-three to claim the title! His winning question and answer was: “Which Southeast Asian country, crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, is bordered by both India and China?” Myanmar! Li then signed the infamous globe trophy, which past Middle School Rams have inscribed with their names to signify their accomplishment. Way to go, Lucas, and congratulations to all who participated in the Bee!
Whitney shared, “The GeoBee is always one of my favorite events each year. I love seeing all four middle school grades come together and showcase geography knowledge that might otherwise stay hidden.
“Each year, we award the winner’s history teacher the honor of displaying the trophy until the next competition. This year, Lucas earned the trophy for Mr. Duvall!”
The National Geographic Society (NGS) launched the National Geographic Bee, or “GeoBee,” in 1989. It was created to improve and encourage geographic literacy among young people in the United States, especially in the middle grades. NGS permanently discontinued it in 2020 to focus on initiatives that reach a broader, more diverse audience. However, the tradition has been kept alive and thriving in the MICDS Middle School ever since!
Simic added, “I love geography, and I’m happy we’ve kept the Geography Bee alive. It’s a great chance for all students to explore the world, learn something new, and watch the finalists showcase their wealth of knowledge.”