Annual geography bee puts students to the test

January 9, 2012 at 12:05a.m.

By jeanne starmack

struthers

You know where New Mexico is, and you know where Arkansas is, but do you know which one covers a larger area?

Trinity Farrar did. The fifth-grader knew it was New Mexico and she knew a lot more, beating out 21 other Struthers Middle School students to place second in the school’s geography bee.

Other contestants gave it a good run in Friday afternoon’s bee.

Some questions were easier — anyone who glues themselves to weather reports in the winter would know enough about lake- effect snow to say it would hit New York, not Oklahoma.

Many times though, those questions were pretty hard.

In what country would you find a Nanduti lacemaker? If you said Paraguay, you’re really up on your geography — or at least, your lace.

Trinity and A.J. Iarussi, a sixth-grader, made it into the championship round. They knew that a magnitude-5.8 earthquake in August felt by people in the Youngstown area, was centered northwest of Richmond, Va.

In the end though, it was A.J. who took top honors in Friday afternoon’s bee. He knew the Asian country at the eastern edge of the South China Sea that comprises more than 7,100 islands is the Philippines.

Now he’ll take a written test for the chance to compete at the state level March 30 in Mansfield in the National Geographic Bee.

There’s a big prize at stake for state winners who go on to compete in the national bee.

It’s bigger even than their all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where the national contest will take place May 24.

It’s even bigger than the chance to meet Alex Trebek, who will moderate the national finals.

The national winner will receive a lifetime membership in the society, a trip to the Galapagos Islands and a $25,000 college scholarship.

Even though he’s only in middle school, A.J. knows how much of a deal that scholarship would be.

“I have a brother in college, and I know it would be important,” he said.

So what is A.J.’s secret? How does he know so much about geography that he was able to beat even seventh- and eighth-graders?

“My mom’s a history teacher, and I soak up whatever she tells me,” he said of his mother, Pam Iarussi, who teaches at Lowellville schools.

If he keeps on absorbing all that knowledge, he could put Struthers on the map.