Maui geography whiz takes state bee

Advertiser Staff

Nicholas Jachowski, an eighth-grader from Makawao, Maui, has won the 2001 Hawai'i State Geographic Bee.

Jachowski topped a field of 79 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at the state competition Friday at the Ala Moana Hotel. The Kalama Intermediate School student advances to the National Geographic Bee scheduled for May 22-23 in Washington.

Nicholas, son of Doug and Maile Jachowski, also finished third in the state spelling bee last week. His older brother, Matthew, was the Hawai'i spelling bee champion in 1999.

Doug Jachowski said Nicholas "has always loved geography. Even when he was in the second grade he'd check books out of the library about states."

Nicholas said he is interested in becoming a photographer for the National Geographic Society. "The more I learn, the more beautiful the world becomes," he said.

Stephen Franz of Iolani School was the runner-up, and Tristan McDaniel of Mid-Pacific Institute was third.

After the field was pared to Jachowski and Franz, Nicholas won by correctly answering the question: "Iguacu Falls, located on the Iguacu River east of Paraguay, straddles the border between Brazil and one of its neighbors to the south. Name this country."

The answer: Argentina.