Utahn takes 5th in national geography bee

WASHINGTON — A Utah seventh-grader took fifth place in the 2011 National Geographic Bee finals in the nation's capital on Wednesday.

Anthony Cheng, 12, was one of 10 finalists out of 54 contestants from around the country. Cheng was also a finalist in the 2010 competition.

When he's not answering tricky geography questions, Cheng attends Midvale Middle School and is enrolled in SALTA — the Canyons School District gifted and talented program.

Earlier this year, Cheng took first place in the state for the American Mathematics Contest and went to a national math competition in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

"He's brilliant," said Midvale assistant principal John Hellwig. "He is fantastic in all of his classes, but especially in math and social studies."

Cheng also plays the piano and was one of nine young Utahns selected to play with the Utah Symphony in its annual Salute to Youth concert in December 2010.

"He's a well-rounded student, likable, has lots of friends," Hellwig said.

First-place winner Tine Valencic of Texas took home a $25,000 college scholarship by correctly answering the question: Which Nepalese national park is the southern part of Mount Everest located in? The answer is Sagarmatha National Park.

Nilai Sarda of Georgia took second place and a $15,000 scholarship while Stefan Petrovic of Kansas took third place and a $10,000 scholarship. Cheng and the other finalists won $500.

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