“How do you like my new bling?” This is what I asked my friends, as they came back from lunch recess after I had won the Geo Bee. I had also gotten a medal. All my friends congratulated me on winning the Geo Bee. The rest of the day I wore my medal with pride. Later that week, I did a test to see if I could make the state finals. Later that year, I was told I didn’t make state so I was bummed out.

“Today we are taking the Geo Bee qualifier,” Mr. Hartling announced. To me it felt like a pop quiz. There was no time to study or prepare for it. I took the quiz like everyone else and felt like I got most of the answers right. After we done correcting the quizzes he called people up based on how many they got wrong. Two people went up before I went up. I was so happy because this meant I had made the Geo Bee. Later that day, they announced the people who made the Geo Bee. There were thirty people in the Geo Bee. Since only fourth and fith graders could participate, twenty-five fifth graders qualified and five fourth graders.

I was so excited that I had made the Geo Bee. The first seven rounds were to see who made the top ten. They were being held at lunch in Mrs. Budde’s room, one round per lunch. I had about a thirty three percent chance of making it so I felt pretty good. During those seven rounds I answered four out of seven questions right. Eight people scored higher than me so they moved on to the top ten automatically. I wasn’t one of those people so I had to go into a tiebreaker round to see who would move on to the top ten. The first question was, “What Canadian province speaks French?” I had no idea. We hadn’t even learned about Canada yet! I took a random guess and said “Quebec” since I only know the provinces Quebec and Ontario. I was the only person who got it right so I made it to the top ten. Daniel answered the next question right so he moved on with me.

In the top ten if you answer one question wrong, just one, you were out. The only way you could “come back” is if everybody else got their question wring that same round. The first round was on United States and Capitols. Two people that round got their question wrong. It was down to eight after one round. The next round came and went and the top ten was down to seven. Another round came and the top ten was cut down to five. That round I had the toughest question and one person had already gotten out. The question was, “What river forms the eastern border of Pennsylvania?” I said the Delaware River and I got it right. I only got it right because I had gone to Pennsylvania earlier that year. While I was there, we gone across the river a couple of times. After that round it was down to two people, Alexis and me. It was a boy-girl rivalry. All the girls were cheering for Alexis. All the boys were cheering for me. Alexis said she would beat me. I told her there was no chance.

The next day, we had the finals of the Geo Bee. There were only three questions for the championship round. The first question we both answered right. The next question, we both answered right again. One question left and I could win the Geo Bee. The question was about the three Native American tribes located in Central and South America, the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. I answered Aztecs and she answered Incas and I won the Geo Bee! After I was done celebrating from winning the Geo Bee, Mrs. Budde, the Geo Bee administrator, told me to bow my head. I did and she put the medal around my neck as proof, that I, Jack O’Neil, was the Geo Bee champion. After I was done celebrating, I waited outside my classroom door for my friends to come back so I could tell them I had won the Geo Bee.

At the end of the year we always have an award ceremony at our school in the gym. Everybody in the school comes and sits in the really hot gym. In the awards ceremony the teachers congratulate everyone that had won an award in the school year. During the award ceremony I got called up like ten times. I got called up for math, Comm. Arts, science, gym and last of all for the Geo Bee Champion.