Seventh Grader to Represent Hawken at State Geography Bee

Which state is bordered by both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers: Iowa, Ohio, or Washington? If you are a middle school student and you consider this an easy question, then there`s a good chance you were a participant in the National Geography Society Geography Bee held at Hawken on Friday December 12. This event marked the 13th annual geography bee, hosted by the irrepressible Mr. Jim Scully in his seventh grade history classroom. The Middle School has produced two Ohio state champions, Alyssa Lane `05 and Jonathan Meckler `12, and the Bee has become a fun and exciting annual event for participants. Nineteen students competed in this year`s bee, representing grades 6, 7 and 8. The preliminary competition ended in a tie between two 7th graders, Shang-Shang Chen and Erica Fearon. Each answered six out of seven questions correctly. Erica prevailed in a tiebreaker round on the question: \"Dubliners,\" a collection of short stories by James Joyce, chronicles the lives of residents in the capital of what country?\" (answer: Ireland) The next step? Erica will take a comprehensive qualifying exam for the Ohio state geography bee. Congratulations, Erica, and best of luck in the next phase of the competition!