Helper student tops in Utah bee

LEHI — Derek Wells could be the next Indiana Jones. With this sixth-grader's vast geography knowledge far out-reaching the average adult's, Wells was named National Geographic Bee state champion at Thanksgiving Point competition Friday.

The winning question: Which North American gulf has been known as the Sea of Cortez and the Vermillion Sea? Wells, 12, nailed it — Gulf of California — and was the last one standing after surviving preliminary rounds against 98 other geography buffs.

It was more than three hours of nail-biting, hair-twirling, knee-jiggling competition as geography competent fourth- through eighth- graders around the state gathered to compete for a chance to go to the national competition in Washington. A teacher accompanies the winner.

About 375 schools registered to participate in the competition and held their own bees earlier. Then those winners submitted a written test to National Geographic, narrowing the field to 100 finalists.

Wells, from Pinnacle Canyon Academy in Helper, isn't new to the Bee. Two years ago as a fifth-grader he took first place as well and went to Washington. Last year he took second and this year he is back on top again.

"Geography has really been his thing since he was a toddler — he used to play with magnets of the states when he was a baby," said Pat Espinoza, Wells' grandmother.

His strategy: Don't be overconfident, look at a lot of maps and don't be intimidated. In the past two weeks he wrote the names of every country he could think of so he would be sure to spell or pronounce them correctly.

"There is no certain way to prepare because they (the judges) throw you everything — I mean, they throw you things from the 1400s," said Wells.

It's definitely not just kid stuff, and some of the questions could have even Alex Trebek, long-time host of TV's "Jeopardy!" quiz show, scratching his head.

Questions ranged from United States and world geography to politics, cultures and history in countries that perhaps the average person wouldn't even know existed.

Seventh grader Zane Li, 12, of Centennial Middle School in Provo School District, took second place, and sixth-grader Jeffrey Bennett, 12, of Peruvian Park Elementary in Jordan School District took third.

In 2002, Li won $18,000 and a laptop computer on the TV quiz show "Jeopardy!"

Each state winner will receive $100, a National Geographic globe and an expense-paid trip to Washington D.C., for the national finals on May 25-26, where they will vie for the 2004 National Geographic Bee crown. Schools of the state winners will receive Educational Insights' GeoSafari game.

First prize in the national competition is a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place winners will receive $15,000 and $10,000 scholarships, respectively.

"National Geographic has always recognized the need for geographic literacy and will vigorously continue its efforts to educate our young people and foster global knowledge," said John Fahey, president of the National Geographic Society. "As the headlines remind us every day, we are part of a larger world, and understanding geography is essential to being a good global citizen."

The championship round of the National Geographic Bee — moderated by Trebek for the 16th year — will be at National Geographic headquarters on May 26 and will air that day nationally on the National Geographic Channel.

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com