Notre Dame sixth-grader Ishwar Surendran has been named by the National Geographic Society as one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2014 Michigan State Geographic Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek.
Surendran is the fifth ND Marist student in the last 11 years to qualify for the state Geographic Bee.
The state Bee is the second level of the national competition, which is now in its 26th year. Qualifying Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school's Bee winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society invited the students with the top 100 scores in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories to compete at the state level.
The 2014 Michigan State Geographic Bee will be held at The Fetzer Center at Western Michigan University on Friday, April 4, 2014.
The state winner will receive $100, the "Complete National Geographic on DVD" and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Michigan in the National Geographic Bee finals to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 19-21,2014. The national winner will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the society. The national winner will also travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galapagos Islands, where he/she will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the islands' unique wildlife and landscapes. Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee for more information on the National Geographic Bee.
National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD will air the final round of the 2014 National Geographic Bee, moderated by new host Soledad O'Brien, on Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m. ET (to be followed on public television stations). Check local television listings for date and time in your area.
About The National Geographic Society
Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. With a mission to inspire people to care about the planet, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 500 million people worldwide each month through its media platforms, products and events. National Geographic has funded more than 11,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.
Follow Notre Dame at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.