Updated: Middle School Student Headed to State Geography Bee

Both the girls and boys basketball teams have made it to state, and now Whitefish Bay Middle School seventh grader Alec Lindfors has taken fourth in another state tournament - the 2011 Wisconsin Geographic Bee.

Lindfors, son of Georgia Mavrinac and Michael Lindfors of Whitefish Bay, was one of 100 students that competed at the state level bee of the National Geographic Society, which was held in Madison on April 1.

To qualify, Lindfors advanced through multiple rounds of the Whitefish Bay Middle School Geography Bee to become the school champion. A written test is available to all students for the first round, followed by top performers competing in grade level bees, and culminating in the school finals.

The National Geographic Society scores qualifying tests completed by the school champions from across Wisconsin, and the top 100 performers are invited to participate at state. Students in grades four through eight are eligible to compete in the National Geographic Society Bee, which is sponsored by Google and Plum Creek.

Lindfors has been interested in geography for years, noting that he likes history and thinks looking at maps is cool. He believes knowledge of geography “is important because there are a lot of issues in the world today, and geography has an impact on those issues.” This is Lindfors’ second time as Geography Bee School Champion, but his first going to state. Lindfors has been studying maps and noted that his parents, friends, and teachers have been helping him with quizzes in preparation for the bee.

Besides his passion for Geography, Alec is a First Class Boy Scout with Troop 398, plays cello with the Whitefish Bay Middle School orchestra, and attends Whitefish Bay’s United Methodist Church. Immediately following the Wisconsin Geographic Bee, Lindfors heads to his next state event in LaCrosse as a member of the Whitefish Bay Jr. Blue Dukes Basketball Team. Lindfors is proud of his future high school’s championship-winning team, noting “I hope to be on the Blue Dukes Basketball Team.”

The winner of the Wisconsin Geographic Bee will receive cash and prizes, along with a trip to Washington D.C. to represent Wisconsin in the national finals on May 24-25, 2011. For additional information on the National Geographic Bee, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee .