Hampton Bays Student Takes First in National Geographic Bee

Olivia Dimijian, a seventh grader at Hampton Bays Middle School has placed first in the third annual National Geographic bee.

Dimijian will now have the opportunity to qualify for the state level competition, with the ultimate goal of making it to the national finals this May. She also has the opportunity to win scholarships between $10,000 and $15,000, which are awarded to top champs.

According to the school district, the GeoBee contest is held in thousands of schools nationwide and is designed to, “encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.”

Also placing was Sean Noonan, a Hampton Bays seventh grader, who took runner-up honors.

This is not the first time, Hampton Bays students have showed off their geography smarts. In 2011, Evan Kelly, an eighth grader, took first place in the National Geographic Geography Bee and in 2012, George Ramirez, an eighth grader at Hampton Bays Middle School took first place.