Murray wins Geographic Bee 2nd year in a row

New Egypt Middle School student Philip Murray Jr. has gotten a lot of attention lately.

Murray was included in coverage of the New Egypt Elks Child ID program and last week's page 3 feature concerning a reading program(with a beach theme) but he is most proud at winning the district's Geographic Bee for the second year in a row.

The seventh grader won the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee last month. With that win comes a chance to win a $25,000 college scholarship.

Students answered oral questions on geography such as "what is the biggest city on the Great Lakes," Murray said.

The student explained that each class has their own competition and then the three best students "face each other in a competition in the school auditorium."

Plumsted Township's School District has been involved in the national program for the last three years of its 12-year run. The bee is sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state champions and their teacher escorts to participate in the National Geographic Bee national championship on May 23 and 24. The first-place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship.

Alex Trebek, host of the TV game show "Jeopardy" will moderate the national finals on May 24. The program will be produced by Maryland Public Television and will air on PBS stations.

Mrs. Sena Siegler, Murray's sixth grade teacher said she was very proud of her former student's win. "He did a great job," she said.

The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in response to a growing concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the US.

A 10-country Gallup survey conducted for the Society in 1988 and 1989 found that people in the U.S. ages 18 to 24--the youngest group surveyed knew less about geography than young people in any of the other countries in the survey.