Student tops geography bee for fourth straight year

SUMMERVILLE, SC (WCSC) - A Summerville student claimed the State National Geographic Bee title for the fourth consecutive year.

Pinewood Prep eighth grader Krish Patel claimed the title title earlier in April at the state level of the national geography competition, school spokesperson Kathie Sizemore said. Patel received $100, two world atlases and an indoor weather station, along with a trip with his parents to Washington, DC for the national competition, which is scheduled to begin May 19, according to a release from the school.

A winner is expected to be named on the finals on May 21 at the National Geographic Society. The winner of that competition receives a $50,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an all-expenses paid trip to the Galapogos Islands about the National Geographic Endeavor, Sizemore said.

Journalist Soledad O'Brien will moderate the championship in which the top 10 finalists will compete.

The competition began in November, Sizemore said, with contests in almost 12,000 schools nationwide in which millions of students participated.

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