Hampton Bays Middle School was one of thousands of schools in the U.S. to participate in this year’s National Geographic Bee. Qualifying bee contestants at the schoolwide level included eighth-graders Tyler Gaffney, Hannah Hansen and Riley McNamara and seventh-graders Ava Bianchi, Olivia Dimijian, Jack Henry, Robert MacAlpine, Jack Montgomery, Sean Noonan and Joey Sapio. Geo Club coordinator Rich Doulos said the contestants spent several months preparing for the bee, competing in numerous rounds of competition as practice.

The purpose of the competition is to spark interest and encourage teachers     and students to engage in activities that relate to geography. "It's about having fun and building awareness of geography," Mr. Doulos said.

Before an audience of fellow students, the participants faced off in the schoolwide bee on Dec. 19 at the middle school cafeteria. Others who participated in geography bee functions included Geo Club members Christopher Barros, Tristen Halsy, Marissa Kennedy, Hannah Mall, Lily Mazzio, Hailey Meyer, Emily Peyton, Christian Rodriguez, Marin Smith, Mackenzie Tyler and Matthew Zbikowski.