Farmington teen wins state geography bee

Kennen Sparks, 14, an eighth-grader at Farmington Junior High School, is the winner of the state-level competition of the 2009 National Geographic Bee.

The annual event was at Thanksgiving Point on Friday with 100 fourth- to eighth-grade students competing.

Sparks also won the state bee in 2007.

The teen wins $100, an atlas and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C., where he will represent Utah at the 21st Annual National Geographic bee May 19 and 20.

The final round of the national competition will be moderated by "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek. First prize is a $25,000 scholarship.

To try your own geography skills go to www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee.

— Amy K. Stewart