Pear Tree Point fifth-grader wins geography bee

Pear Tree Point School fifth-grader Jimmy FitzPatrick won the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee.

The school-level bee is the first round in the 24th annual National Geographic Bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Questions cover a full range of geographic knowledge including U.S. geography, world geography, map reading, historic sites, capitals of the world and cultural, economic, political and physical geography.

This first round began at Pear Tree Point School with fourth, fifth and sixth grade students competing in homeroom classrooms. Ten semi-finalists emerged who then competed before an audience in an elimination round featuring increasingly difficult questions. After a back and forth duel among the final two students, Jimmy FitzPatrick became school champion by answering the question: "Timbutku, a center of caravan trade for almost a thousand years, is located north of the Niger River in which landlocked country?" Jimmy knew the country was Mali.

As school champion, Jimmy will now take a written test to qualify for the state championship round. The state winner will represent Connecticut and compete at the National Geographic Bee in Washington D.C. from May 22 to 24.