Photo: Finalists Left to right: Tait Tavolacci (runner-up), Flynn Bowman (First Place), Jude Gross (Third Place)

Kent School Students Compete in School Level Geography Bee

Kent, MD

Kent School

Friday, January 12, 2017 Kent School students in grades four through eight competed in the 2018 school-level National Geographic Geography Bee. Flynn Bowman, an eighth grade student, won the school-level competition and a chance to compete in the Maryland State Bee. Flynn was also the runner-up in the 2017 Bee. Seventh grade student, Tait Tavolacci was the runner-up this year. After several rounds, Flynn and Tait emerged as the finalists and the two battled through several tie-breaker rounds with questions about South America, Central America and Asia.

Photo: Finalists Left to right: Tait Tavolacci (runner-up), Flynn Bowman (First Place), Jude Gross (Third Place)
Finalists Left to right: Tait Tavolacci (runner-up), Flynn Bowman (First Place), Jude Gross (Third Place) – Contributed Photo

Two students from each of grades four through eight qualified in preliminary rounds completed in individual grades earlier this month. Finalists were: Cole Gray and Harrison Lavery (4th grade), Jude Gross and Victoria MacGlashan (5th grade), Allie Butler and Tilghman Overton (6th grade), Tait Tavolacci and Frank Cantera (7th grade), and Flynn Bowman and Georgia Gillespie (8th grade.)

Kent School’s seventh grade geography teacher, Michelle Cerino has been coordinating the National Geographic Geography Bee for over a decade and is proud of all the contestants, students and teachers that help in preparing for this event. Cerino said, “This week, Flynn will take a written test to determine if he qualifies for the Maryland State competition. Several Kent School students have successfully qualified to compete in the state level of the National Geographic Bee in recent years.”

According to the National Geographic Bee web page, “Each year, thousands of schools in the U.S. participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in the classrooms and spark student interest in the subject and increase public awareness about geography. Cerino continued, “The National Geographic Bee fits seamlessly with Kent School’s commitment to global studies. Our students learn about the world and different habitats in Kindergarten. Global Studies continues in third grade and is emphasized again in 7th grade when students spend the full year in World Geography.”

For more information about Kent School visit www.kentschool.org, email tcammerzell@kentschool.org or call 410-778-4100 ext. 110. Kent School, located in historic Chestertown, MD is an independent day school serving children from Preschool through Grade 8. The School’s mission is to guide our students in realizing their potential for academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. Our school’s family-oriented, supportive, student-centered environment fosters the growth of honorable, responsible citizens for our country and