2007 Geography Bee

Eighth grader wins her second Geography Bee

by Beth Rowen

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The number 2 might be Caitlin Snaring's lucky number. It was her second time representing Washington state at the National Geographic Bee, and she’s the second girl to win the contest in its 19-year history.

"I don't know why more girls aren't interested in geography," she said after winning the championship round. "I wanted a girl winner this year." By placing first, Caitlin earned a $25,000 scholarship and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.

The 14-year-old home-schooled eighth grader from Redmond, Washington, said she started studying for the 2007 bee right after she was eliminated from the 2006 competition. In addition to geography, Caitlin enjoys studying the history of pottery and creating reproductions of Greek and Minoan pottery.

Caitlin won the 2007 National Geographic Bee by correctly identifying Hue as the city that is divided by a river of the same name and was the imperial capital of Vietnam for more than a century.

The National Geographic Bee was open to 55 contestants: one from each state, plus one apiece from Washington, D.C.; Pacific Territories; Puerto Rico; the Virgin Islands; and U.S. Department of Defense schools. The final round, for the top ten finalists, was moderated by Alex Trebek, host of the popular game show Jeopardy! It was broadcast live on the National Geographic Channel.

Suneil Iyer, 12, a seventh-grader at Indian Trail Junior High School in Olathe, Kansas, placed second and received a $15,000 college scholarship. Third place and a $10,000 college scholarship went to Mark Arildsen, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at the University School of Nashville, in Nashville, Tennessee.

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