Margaret Collett, a fourth grade student, took first place in Marion Elementary School’s National Geographic GeoBee Nov. 30.

Collett won in a championship tiebreaker when answering “Greece” to the question, “Which country is not predominantly Roman Catholic — Ireland, Spain, or Greece?”

Fifth grader Shyann Harris placed second.

Elementary students participated in a school-level GeoBee competition, the first round in the annual GeoBee. GeoBee is designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world. Questions cover not only geography, but also cultures, physical features, history, and earth science.

National Geographic Society developed GeoBee in 1989 in response to concerns about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States. Over more than three decades, 120 million students have learned about the world through the GeoBee.

Collett will take an online qualifying test with up to 100 of the top scorers in each state.

Winners there receive an all-expenses-paid trip to National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, District Columbia, in May to participate in the national championship. They will compete for cash prizes, scholarships and an all-expenses paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour ll. Learn more at www.natgeobee.org.