Kennedy Fahey wins geography bee
News editor
Do you know which Asian country includes the Taklimakan Desert, home to the Uyghur people, located north of the Kunlun Mountains?
Marion Elementary School sixth-grader Kennedy Fahey wasn’t sure, either, but she realized that China is one of the largest countries in Asia, with a lot going on, so she made an educated guess. She got it right, and won the MES geography bee Friday afternoon.
She and 11 other fourth- through sixth-graders competed through seven rounds of questions about U.S. and world geography. The competition was down to the final four after five rounds. After the sixth round, it was down to Kennedy and Hannah Stubenhofer-May.
The finalist who got the most questions correct out of three would be the winner. Neither finalist was able to identify Portland, Maine, as the eastern terminus of an oil pipeline that connects with Montreal in Canada.
On the second question, Kennedy correctly answered that the Potomac River empties into Chesapeake Bay after flowing from the Allegheny Plateau. With Kennedy leading 1-0, the championship came down to the final question about the Taklimakan Desert. Kennedy’s correct answer clinched the victory for her.
The competitors in the bee were selected through quizzes in their classes, Principal Justin Wasmuth said. For winning the championship, Kennedy will take a state test for a chance to compete in the National Geographic Bee with host Soledad O’Brien May 19 to 21 in Washington, D.C.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the former host of the National Geographic Bee and said it was on Labor Day.