Brandon H. '25 Advances to 2020 National Geographic GeoBee State Competition

Nichols School seventh grader Brandon H. '25 was recognized for advancing to the 2020 National Geographic GeoBee State Competition. Brandon advanced to the state level in this annual competition as the top scorer at Nichols Middle School and one of the top scorers in New York.

To determine each school champion, GeoBee competitions were held in schools throughout the state with students in the fourth through eighth grades. This year, an estimated 2.4 million students competed in the GeoBee, with 8,661 students becoming school champions. School champions also took an online qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. Up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories were invited to compete in the State GeoBees.

The New York State Competition was originally scheduled for Friday, March 27 in Albany, followed by the 2020 National Championship in Washington, D.C. in May. Both were canceled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the National Geographic Society hosted a virtual recognition ceremony on Friday, April 17 to congratulate all of the State Competition qualifiers for their success. The event featured National Geographic's very own Geographer Alex Tait, who answered questions live from students and hosted a live GeoBee "Kahoot!" game including some questions drawn from state-level competitions. In the spirit of the GeoBee, state qualifiers tested their geographic knowledge against other students across the country.

We are very proud of Brandon for his accomplishment - congratulations!