On Jan. 9, Shaker Junior High School held its annual Geography Bee in the school's auditorium after school.

There were eight contestants all together, two from each hall. They only had 15 seconds to answer each question, and were eliminated after answering two questions wrong.

Seventh-grade student, Akanshu Srivastav, came out the winner, after answering such questions as, "Name the large city that lies between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River." (Answer: New Orleans)

Srivastav will have to complete a written essay, which he will turn into Principal Moore. Dr. Moore will then send the essay to the National Geographic Society to be graded, to see if Srivastav qualifies for the state-level competition. The State Geographic Bee will be held on March 30 at the New York State Museum.

One student in New York will then go on to the National Geographic Bee — sponsored by National Geographic — which will be held on May 23 in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to all of the contestants for making it to the school-wide level!

Photo caption: (from left to right) Photo of Principal Russ Moore, Geography Bee winner Akanshu Srivastav, and Superintendent Randy Ehrenberg who moderated the event.