More than 2 million fourth-through-eighth-grade students participated in the school GeoBees all over the country in the last few months. For the seventh year, the top 100 finishers in Virginia attended the event held at Longwood University. Kathy Jefferson of Farmville, and a teacher at Fuqua School, was the coordinator for this year’s event. She was assisted by many volunteers from the Virginia Geographic Alliance.

National Geographic Society developed the GeoBee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States. Over more than three decades, 120 million students have learned about the world through participation in the GeoBee. The winner first place – State Champion was Anish Susarla of Belmont Ridge Middle School; second place was Alexander Daniels of Washington Irving Middle School; and third place was Visethreach Sothy of Fairfax Christian School. Susarla is shown being awarded the first place medal from Anne Evans, social studies coordinator for Charlottesville City Schools and co-coordinator of the Virginia Geographic Alliance.