 | | | Samuel SooHoo with Geography Bee medals won in 2013 and 2014. Photos provided | | | | | | Orinda Intermediate School eighth-grader Samuel SooHoo, who also qualified last year and ended up placing in the top 25 for California, and Stanley Middle School sixth-grader Marcello Severo represented their schools April 4 at the state National Geographic Bee at California State University, Fresno. Out of the 2,000-plus winners of their individual schools only the top 100 advanced to the finals. After winning their individual school bee, the students took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society.
An example of a question students were asked included: What is the term for the triangular deposit of sediment sometimes found at the mouth of a river - moraine or delta?
Marcello is also known for his musical talents, advancing to the regional level several times in the PTA Reflections competition and the state level one time for the same competition. Marcello plays piano in the Stanley Middle School Jazz Messengers band and plays the keyboard for a local jazz group called the Dominant 7, comprised of four other Lafayette School District students.
At State, Marcello answered eight out of eight questions correctly in the preliminary round and advanced to a tiebreaker round with 27 out of 98 other kids. The state winner received $100 and a trip to Washington D.C. where they will represent California in the national finals at National Geographic Society headquarters May 19-21. The national winner will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the society.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA