Middle School's Will DeGrande Wins NJ Geo Bee

After his third attempt, Will DiGrande, representing Warren Middle School, won the New Jersey State Geography Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek, April 5.

In the Championship round, he answered the most questions right, two of three vs. one of three for the runner-up, Juan Sorto of Cliffside Park.

The winning answer had to do with “Niagara on the Lake,” and what Canadian province it is in. Funny thing, Will had just spent a day in Niagara on the Lake the week before, during Spring Break. He smiled widely with confidence this time when he heard the question.

Ironically two years ago, he was eliminated from the bee on a Canadian Province question. As the winner, Will represents New Jersey in the national finals at National Geographic Society Headquarters May 20-22, 2013, received $100, the “Complete National Geographic” on DVD, a 2013 NJ Geo Bee T-shirt and the Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary.

From among the winners of approximately 400 schools, those with the top 100 scores in a written qualification test were invited to compete in the state geo bee at Rowan University in Glassboro. Twenty-two of the 100 students made it to the “tie-breaker” round after answering all questions correct during the preliminary round. Of the 22, only 10 make it to the stage to compete in front of a live audience for the final round.

Up until the championship round between the final two qualifiers, each student is able to continue competing until they answer two questions incorrectly. The winner of each state bee gets an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. on May 22.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the National Geo Bee. The first place national winner will also travel, all expenses paid, to the Galapagos Islands. The winner will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with wildlife. National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild will air the final round of the 2012 Geo Bee, moderated by Alex Trebek, on Thursday, May 23 (to be followed by public TV stations).

In 2011, Will made it to the final round and placed fifth overall in the state. In 2012, Will was eliminated during the preliminary round. 

“It was a bitter pill to swallow,” said his mom, Jean. “He was determined to make it to the final round this year and had his heart set on winning the State Bee, this being his final attempt! Will found a website offering Geo Bee study materials at the end of last year and his Dad, George, along with many friends at Warren Middle School, helped drill Will, especially as he got closer to the State Bee.

"He also asked for and received as a Christmas Gift, the National Geographic 9th Edition Atlas—the book is huge, literally half his size," she added. "The maps are incredible.”

She said he spent many hours going through the atlas.

Will has had an interest in geography since he was 4 years old. He started with the “Leapster” game, learning the US states and their capitals. Over the years he asked for and received various globes, atlases, puzzles and books and travelled to Europe last summer with the youth ambassador program, “People to People.” There he visited England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and stayed with a family for a few days in Germany.

“My German host family was extremely generous providing home cooking and taking me to see famous landmarks close to the Swiss border," Will said. "I even participated in a community service project in Freiburg, cleaning up a park.”  

Travelling with his family on an Alaskan cruise, to Mexico, Hawaii, Seattle, Idaho, Montana, South Carolina, Florida, Boston, Philadelphia, San Antonio and some of the Caribbean Islands has helped Will understand topography and culture.

“It’s fun to travel and see the things I’ve read about and seen on maps,” Will said.

Will is excited to continue travelling and continue expanding his knowledge. He’s nervous but excited about competing in the National Bee in Washington D.C. He has been told he will need to make a video of his home town to bring with him as he meets the other qualifiers including one from each of 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and the U.S. territories.