Risty wins BV GeoBee
By:
Staff report
Contestants in Brandon Valley’s Middle and Intermediate Schools’ 2019 National Geographic GeoBee are (front, from left) Ryan Presler, Thomas Risty, Kayden Bailey, Ethan Rohr; (back) Owen Prenger, Olivia Carswell, Andrew Gusso, Jackson McKean and Yoseph Bushen. Jamie Hult/BV Journal
Nine worldly Brandon Valley students fielded questions from around the globe in the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee last week in the middle school library.
Seventh-grader Thomas Risty was crowned champion of the middle and intermediate school contestants. After several rounds of multiple choice questions on bodies of water, populations, indigenous animals, borders and more from around the world, only Risty and eighth-grader Ethan Rohr remained at the table for the championship round.
Risty was named the champion when he named the Central American country that is home to Darién National Park and wildlife conservationist Ricardo Moreno’s groundbreaking research on jaguars. (The answer: Panama).
“Third time’s a charm,” said Risty, who also competed in the GeoBee as a fifth- and sixth-grader.
He’ll take a test to qualify for the state competition, set for March 29.
He’s the son of Jeremy and Becca Risty. When he grows up, he wants to be a teacher or an engineer.
