Willowbrook student wins Illinois National Geogaphic Bee
Do you know on which large sea the city of Sochi is located? Or where the headquarters of the Nez Perce National Historical Park sits?
The young, geographical wizards who competed Friday in the Illinois National Geographic Bee knew the answers to those questions and many, many others.
More than 100 youngsters showed off their geography chops at the state competition at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, before the group of fourth- to eighth-graders was whittled down to 10 finalists for the final round.
When the dust settled, Alexandru Grindeanu, an eighth-grader from Willowbrook, was the last student standing.
He'll advance to the 27th annual National Geographic Bee championship this May in Washington, D.C., where he'll compete against state and territorial winners of other tournaments held Friday across the country.
The national winner will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and a trip to the Galápagos Islands.
The finalists in Friday's competition had to be walking atlases with knowledge of places and landmarks from around the world. In one round, they even had to identify where some of the country's top roller coasters are located based on given clues.
After several elimination rounds, the championship came down to Alexandru and Mantra Dave of Normal who faced off for three questions.
Both boys answered two of the questions correctly, but the difference maker was this: A recent fossil discovery revealed that spinosaurus, the largest known carnivorous dinosaur, is also the first known swimming dinosaur. This fossil was unearthed in the Kem Kem beds near the city of Errachidia in which country that borders Algeria?"
Alexandru knew the correct answer was Morocco, but Mantra missed when he said Tunisia.
Alexandru said winning was the best moment of his life.
"I'm just overcome with emotion," he said. "I'm just happy."
Alexandru said he has liked geography since he was little and it helps him know what's going on around the world.
"It just gives me a sense of where I am," he said. "It's just fascinating."