The Barefoot Brothers took the top spots in Lakehill's Geo Bee competition.
Lakehill Preparatory School's Geo Bee on January 24 was truly a family affair, as two Barefoot brothers were left in the finals to compete for the championship. In the end, eighth grader Christian Barefoot answered correctly that the world's largest marine protected area, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, is located off the state of Hawaii.
Christian was declared Lakehill's champion after answering the most questions correctly in the championship round. His younger brother, sixth grader Leyton Barefoot, claimed second place.
Sixth grader Angus Gilbreath and fifth grader Lobna El-Feky gave strong performances and tied for third.
The competition was open to all students in grades four through eight. There were 27 competitors, a school record for the Bee. The event consisted of seven rounds of questions, a final round for the top 10 students, and a championship round for the final two competitors. Preparation took place in Geography Club meetings, where participants met every other week to practice.
This is the 29th year the National Geographic Society has organized the Bee, and each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in this entertaining and challenging test of geographic knowledge.
As a school winner, Christian will advance to the next level of competition, a 70-question online examination. The top 100 test takers in the state will then compete for the state title. Each state winner will advance to Washington, D.C. for the national finals in May.
"Our Geography Club has grown in enthusiasm and dedication over the years with our meetings centered on fun competitions testing map and geography knowledge. This year, the students' hard work really paid off," said Patty Pippen, Geography Club sponsor.
"Winning the Geo Bee was really exciting," said Christian, "but competing against my brother in the final round made it even more memorable and special."