"Without geography, you're nowhere," reads a bumper sticker I've come across on a car in the parking lot by Calvary Memorial Church. That's an anecdote I've embraced by my passionate interest in geography for years.
And it's something that 10 young people manifested recently, at the annual National Geography Bee was held at the headquarters of the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC.
As a participant in the Geography Bee in the past, I especially make a point to watch the final round of the Bee every year, to keep up with this wonderful event, just as I enjoyed watching it in the years before participating.
This was the first year the Bee wasn't hosted by Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who, by the way, was in the audience and was acknowledged during the course of the proceedings--and does he look different not being in the presence of lots of lights and donning make-up. Instead, broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien hosted. She had a very refined style as she spoke, and a nice way of presenting herself, and did well running things on the stage. (But I found one of the things she said a bit unsettling. Right before the first eliminations started taking place, she talked about how the competition would get more fierce, with some wording I thought was too strong for a setting like this.)
I took note of how the contestants walked in as they were introduced at the beginning of the event, a different kind of touch to getting the excitement level up right off the bat, following a brilliant opening montage. There were also some nice recorded video bits interspersed throughout the hourlong program, in which the contestants shared more about their interests and how they feel about participating.
It's always interesting to see how the folks managing the competition embellish the questions. One was handed to Soledad from a drone, as National Geography Society staff out in the field use various drone devices in capturing photos of, for instance, lions. Another was given by an astronaut on-board the International Space Station. And still another came from a judge from a singing competition show who asked a pointed question about the location of his hometown in Australia.
I really liked the category of questions that involved a map of a city and the playing of music from that country. I found the music for each question very catchy. I was a bit surprised none of the contestants attempted to guess the city name (which would have been worth 3 points), and instead guessed only the continent (which merited 1 point).
The category with the food was also interesting, focusing on the culture of the locations through a particular lens. I would have thought that more of the contestants would have gone for the challenge question, as at that later point in the proceedings, some didn't necessarily have as much to lose.
The final round of the Bee has adopted a points system in recent years, rather than eliminations after two wrong responses. The organizers worked out the logistical issues that came up with timing when there was more back-and-forth among the contestants.
I was delighted to see the contestants act so cordially when they were dismissed after eliminations, shaking hands with fellow contestants as they exited the stage. Even while acting so maturely, they showed themselves to be the young people they are. In comparison to the very polished style Soledad O'Brien displayed, the youngsters just gave answers off the cuff in their own way, especially when talking about their ideas for future pursuits. They didn't try to put on some kind of show, even champion Akhil Rekulapelli, an 8th grader from Virginia, when Soledad asked him how he felt about winning, and he just said he didn't know how to feel at such a big moment. They expressed themselves in a genuine way, and that's one of the reasons why I like watching this competition.
What's really neat about this competition is that it gets these young people thinking more holistically about the world--and not just the 10 who get to the final round, but the hundreds of thousands across the nation who compete in the lower-level rounds. It's not merely about memorizing facts about the location of places. It's about having a broader understanding of the people, cultures, and politics of those places, the context in which they fit, and the way they interact. By advancing into the more advanced levels of the competition, these young people show that they want to embrace a greater understanding of this world in which we live, and what fills it. This is something I feel is very inspiring to all of us.
As I watched the proceedings of this year's competition, I couldn't help but think back to when I participated in it, during my middle school days. And then I realized that this competition is one of the reasons why my middle schools years were such a special experience for me. Those years were filled with opportunities like this, providing a channel for me to engage my interests and passions about things in this world. Furthermore, it was inspiring that I had something, like this competition, affirm my desire to understand the world more and more. And these kinds of opportunities were only present during my middle schools years, and haven't really come up in the same way since.
Indeed, it was something that inspired me at a young age, and urged me on to understand the world better as a way to enhance myself as a person.
So great job to all the participants of this year's National Geography Bee, and Godspeed to all those who will participate in next year's Bee. No matter how well you do, keep inspiring us to know this amazing world and all that fills it in greater depth.
No comments:
Post a Comment