After nail-biting competition, Templeton Middle School produced its school champion from the top eight finalists in its Geographic Bee. Eighth-grader Maya Pechenov emerged as the 2011 school champion after rounds of intense questions, up against seven other school finalists. The other finalists were Michael Barnes, who was named runner-up, and Zackary Buschke, Connor Davidson, Miranda Milbrath, Andrew O’Neill, Dominic Pino and Nicolas Schmudlach.
All Templeton students participated in a preliminary round by taking a 25-question written test. Students who scored highest on that test advanced to the semi-final round which was held Jan. 5. The eight finalists took part in the Jan. 13 final round.
As the school champion, Pechenov took a written test to qualify for state level competition. Up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will be eligible to compete April 1 in state level National Geographic Bee events. The winner of each state bee will travel to Washington, D.C., in May to participate in the national event.