More than 60 St. Apollinaris students  in fifth through eighth grades recently participated in National Geographic’s Annual Geography Bee.

After 12 rounds of challenging questions, the field of geography enthusiasts was whittled down to finalists seventh grader Alice Hyde and fifth grader Isabella Bosetti.

Bosetti emerged as the school champion after answering the final two questions correctly and she now goes on to take a written exam from National Geographic in hopes of qualifying for the state competition in Sacramento, March 30. The top 100 scorers go on to the state level. Winners of the state competition will advance to Washington, D.C., for the national competition.

Last year, Hyde, the St. Apollinaris‚ school champion for 2006, competed at the state level along with 99 other students from California. She was the second student from St. Apollinaris in 14 years to compete at the state level.

The Geography Bee is officially sponsored by National Geographic and is designed for fourth through eighth grades. The Bee was originally developed to inspire educators to incorporate geography into the daily curriculum, spark student interest and increase public awareness about geography.  Approximately 5 million students nationwide participate at the school level.