Davis boy is Orlando-bound in AAA geography contest

A student from Bountiful High School will have the opportunity to match his geography and travel wits against 50 other students from across the country in the national finals of the AAA Travel High School Challenge.

Senior Curtis Reed took first place in the Utah competition this month and walked away with a $1,000 scholarship and a trip to Orlando to compete for one of three $25,000 scholarships next month.

He beat hundreds of Utah students in an online exam and then bested the top five finalists on a 40-question written exam.

The exams challenge students' knowledge of United States and world geography. The purpose is to raise students' interest in geography by focusing on aspects that captures interest: travel and tourist destinations.

Rolayne Fairclough, AAA Utah spokesperson, said surveys consistently show American students lag behind their global peers in knowledge of geography and world events. With the enormous size of the United States in comparison with other countries, a knowledge of world geography isn't on the top of the list — as opposed to students in Europe where within a hundred miles there can be a different language, culture, currency and country.

"People really need to have a feeling for the world," said Fairclough. "Life is so much more enhanced if you can see yourself as part of a global family."

AAA, the largest leisure travel business in the country, has taken on the responsibility of getting students interested in geography because they have a vested interest there — future employees and future travelers.

"We do also have a real sense of being a corporate partner within the country and within the state, and so when we see opportunities like this we take them," said Fairclough.

The AAA Travel High School Challenge will award $156,000 in scholarships courtesy of the Hogan Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes a greater understanding of the importance of travel and tourism.

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