Spicher earns spot in state geography bee

Havre Daily News staff

National Geographic Society has announced that North Star School seventh-grader Colton Spicher, son of Rob and Jackie Spicher, is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2018 Montana National Geographic State Bee, set for April 6 at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.

This is the third straight year he has qualified

Colton Spicher had to take a qualifying test after being named school champion which he then submitted to National Geographic Society. School bees in the National Geographic contest, now in its 30th year, are for fourth- through eighth-grade students.

National Geographic invites up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia and Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories to compete in the state bees.

The state champion will receive $200, "National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World, second Edition" and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Geographic Bee Championship at National Geographic Society headquarters May 20-23, of which the final round will be streamed.

Students who come in second at the state level receive $150 and third receive $100. The cash prizes for the state winners are doubled from previous years.

The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership to National Geographic Society including a subscription to National Geographic magazine, and an all-expenses-paid trip Lindblad expedition to the Galapagos Islands aboard the new National Geographic Endeavour II, paid by National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions.

The national second-place winner receives a $25,000 scholarship and the third-place winner earns a $10,000 scholarship.

People can visit http://www.natgeobee.org to find more information on the National Geographic Bee.