2019 Draper Geography Bee winners

On which of the Great Lakes will you find Saginaw Bay? If you answered Lake Michigan, sorry. You’re wrong.

It’s actually Lake Huron and that answer helped determine the top finishers in this year’s 2019 Draper Geography Bee on Thursday, Jan. 17. The overall winner was eighth-grader Michael Gage. Finishing second was Tyler Benintende (grade 8) and in third, Kyleigh Millett (grade 8). Abby Marriner (grade 6) and Connor Candee (grade 8) were semifinalists.

The middle school geography bee is an annual tradition and is part of the National Geographic Society’s National Geographic Bee. The challenging competition is designed to inspire students’ curiosity about the world.

Many Draper students participated in a written preliminary test provided by the National Geographic Society, and the 10 top-scoring students went on to compete in Draper’s the geography bee, judged by several staff members and attended by friends and family.

Michael’s win qualifies him to take an online test provided by the National Geographic Society. His scores will determine whether he will be invited to participate in the New York state regional level bee. Winners at the state level will proceed to the national bee in Washington, D.C., where the winner will walk away with a $50,000 prize to support their college education.

Congratulations to all of our participants in this year’s Draper Geography Bee:

• Abby Mariner – Grade 6
• Amelia Maksuti – Grade 6
• Chloe O’Connor – Grade 6
• Tim Abbott – Grade 7
• Sam DiLallo – Grade 7
• Maddie Perretta – Grade 7
• Connor Candee – Grade 8
• Tyler Benintende – Grade 8
• Michael Gage – Grade 8
• Kyleigh Millett – Grade 8