15th National Geographic Bee
| 15th National Geographic Bee | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 21, 2003 |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | James Williams (14 at time of win) |
| No. of contestants | 55 |
The 15th National Geographic Bee was held in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2003, sponsored by the National Geographic Society and ING. The final competition was moderated by Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.[1] The winner was James Williams, a homeschooled student from Vancouver, Washington, who won a $25,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, and a trip to a Busch Gardens/Sea World Adventure Camp. The 2nd-place winner, Dallas Simons of Martin Luther King Magnet School in Nashville, Tennessee, won a $15,000 scholarship. The 3rd-place winner, Sean Rao of St. Gabriel School in Hubertus, Wisconsin, won a $10,000 scholarship.[2]
2003 State Champions
[edit]| State | Winner's Name | Grade | School | City/Town | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arkansas | Jacob Felts | 8th | Hardy | Top 10 finalist | |
| Colorado | Kathryn Prose | Denver | Top 10 finalist | ||
| District of Columbia | Thomas Meyerson | 7th | Top 10 finalist | ||
 Florida | David Goldman | 8th | Fort Lauderdale | Top 10 finalist | |
 Hawaii | Eric Liaw | 5th | Punahou Junior High School | Honolulu | |
| Kansas | Andrew Wojtanik | 7th | Overland Park | ||
| Michigan | Jamie Ding | 6th | East Middle School | Canton | |
 Minnesota | Nathan Cornelius | 5th | Cottonwood | ||
| Ohio | Christopher Butler | Shaker Heights | Top 10 finalist | ||
| Oklahoma | Christopher Chesny | 7th | Claremore | ||
 Oregon | Samuel Brandt | 6th | Roosevelt Middle School | Eugene | Top 10 finalist |
| Rhode Island | Karan Takhar | 6th | Gordon School | East Providence | Top 10 finalist |
 Tennessee | Dallas Simons | Martin Luther King Magnet School | Nashville | Second Place | |
 Texas | Sameer Ahmed | 7th | Rice Middle School | Plano | |
| Utah | Kevin Chen Ni | 8th | Churchill Junior High School | Millcreek | |
| Washington | James Williams | 8th | Vancouver | 2003 Champion | |
| Wisconsin | Sean Rao | 8th | St. Gabriel School | Hubertus | Third Place |
References
[edit]- ↑ Melody Kramer. "Alex Trebek: On Hosting the National Geographic Bee". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013.
- ↑ Jennifer Vernon. "Washington State Eighth Grader Wins National Geographic Bee". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2003.