April 19, 200l – Max Hoffman is headed to Washington, D.C. next month to represent the Virgin Islands in the national finals of the annual Geography Bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society.
An eighth grader at Antilles School on St. Thomas, Hoffman is the son of attorney Paul Hoffman and Sallie Adams.
This year's local contest was run a bit differently than previous years. As usual, individual schools held competitions. But winners from the various schools did not go head-to-head against one another since no one organized and sponsored the event.
Instead, as Antilles headmaster Mark Marin explained, the winners from each of 10 schools took a written test provided by National Geographic.
"Max scored the highest" and that won him the V.I. slot at the nationals, Marin said. Each state and participating territory may send one representative.
Marin described Hoffman as a "voracious reader of history, especially military history." Following battles and other history around the globe, he has picked up an outstanding knowledge of geography that has supplemented his studies.
"Max is also a soccer star," Marin said.
Middle school teacher Margaret Avery, the geography coach, will accompany her student to Washington for the finals, which will be televised.
The preliminary rounds are scheduled for May 22 and the final round on May 23. Participants will be treated to tours and social events before and after the actual contest.
