Alfredo Andrews Student to Represent U.S. Caribbean in National Geography Bee
The mood of the entire school family at Alfredo Andrews Elementary is upbeat after hearing the news that sixth-grader Jael King will represent the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the National Geographic Bee May 19 – 21, according to the Education Department.
After winning his school geography bee, King went on to win the 2014 Atlantic Territorial Bee in April.
Alfredo Andrews School Principal Joan Claxton said she is very excited that one of her student will get the opportunity to represent the Virgin Islands and Puerto in the national contest. “I am truly honored that Jael had done so well,” she said in a statement. “He proved what we can get back for being technology savvy. (Information Technology) assisted him in becoming the GeoBee winner,” she said, adding that King’s mother Sherikah King said Jael is quite familiar with the computer and search engines and plays educational games while on the internet.
“He is frequently on Google researching for websites that will provide up to date information on geography,” she said. “He looks at blank maps of the U.S. online and plays games identifying each state and its capital. He’s using technology wisely to uplift his educational experience beyond the small island he lives on.”
Meanwhile, Jael is optimistic about doing well at the National GeoBee later this month in Washington, D.C. He and teacher Loretta Whilby-Royes will get an all-expense paid trip to the competition.
Other 2014 Virgin Islands Geography Bee contenders were Rachel Nelson, Joseph Gomez Elementary School; Zara Shapiro, Antilles School; Ahmad C. Graham, Calvary Christian Academy; and Jared Hodge, Good Hope Country Day.
According to the National Geographic Bee web page, schools with students in fourth through eighth grades participate in the challenging test of geographic knowledge using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society.
The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.
The 2013 National Geographic State winner for the Atlantic Territories was Leo Diaz, then a 12-year-old seventh-grader at St. John’s School in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
