Northeast celebrated the 20th Anniversary of its annual Geography Bee on March 15, the first year it was held throughout the school day which maximized student and parent involvement. In fact, an all-time record was set with 54 teams and 156 students participating.
The GeoBee is a trivia contest that welcomes teams of two or three students to challenge themselves in world knowledge connected to areas of focus in their Global Studies class. Teams are grouped at the Kindergarten level, grades 1 & 2, grades 3 & 4 and grade 5.
Several qualifying rounds led to championship rounds and ultimately, winners crowned 1st through 3rd place walked away with some prizes.
The event was loaded with tons of trivia and fun! Clever team names like The Compass Crew, GOlivias, Geo Dragons, DomiNation or The Banana Boys kept the crowd smiling. Each round got more intense as the teams continued to raise the bar of rigor. Even Kindergarten went into a triple tie breaker!
Co-Chairs Melissa Cortale and Ashu Mehndiratta and PTA President Sabrina Brewer as well as parent volunteers Loraine Tacardon and Helen Black oversaw the design and execution of the GeoBee. “From registration to decorations right down to the questions, this team impressed us all,” said Principal Joseph Putrino. “Their hard work, coordination and dedication created an unforgettable experience.”
“The Northeast Community is so very proud of all our participants,” he continued. “Taking a chance and being on stage is no small feat. The months long preparation and courage to be in the GeoBee is a testament to our students’ commitment to the Northeast magnet and their own personal growth. We congratulate all of them!”
Kindergarten
1st Place - Yellow Cactus Megalodons: Vivian Liebermann, Willa Crowley, Xavier Black
2nd Place - Black Turtles: Peter Johannsen, Roman DiPietro, RJ Tretola
3rd Place - NJ Kinder-Gardeners: Lucian Segedy, Joseph Hsu, Carter McDonald
3rd Place - Team Global Kids: Max Tilner, Jack Kramer, Walter Gillespie
Grade 1&2
1st Place - Geo Tigers: Deven Reddy, Cormac Thompson, Leonardo Randazzo
2nd Place - Global Puppies: Jolie Tang, Mia Srikanth, Winnie White
3rd Place – DomiNation: Jameson Keating, Nathaniel Clark, Ari Penta
Grade 3&4
1st Place - The Compass Crew: Benjamin Mohren, Arya Saireddy, Madelibe Muntz
2nd Place - Globe'easters: Nir Vainsencher, Boris Simonov, Olivier Dupre Deriphonse
3rd Place - The Globallers: Freddie Forbes, Cameron Youngs, Nate Kolbe
Grade 5
1st Place - NE Explorers: Sebastian Mills, Armas Kikoski, Bryce Stokes
2nd Place - Northeast Navigators: The Final Chapter: Marcel Arbelaez, Toby Arbelaez, Jack Stofkoper
3rd Place - M&Ms: Alexa Rodriguez, Manvi Manivannan, Paula Roever