Maui teen places second in National Geographic Bee
| • | Test yourself: Sample questions from the National Geographic Bee |
By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — A 14-year-old from Makawao who dreams of becoming a National Geographic photographer took second place at yesterday's national geography bee, the highest Hawai'i has finished in 13 years of competing.
Associated Press
Nicholas Jachowski, who said he has been interested in geography for as long as he can remember, won $15,000 in the competition.
Nicholas Jachowski is also a champion speller.
Nicholas also is a good speller. He was the 2001 Maui District spelling bee champion and finished third in the state contest last month.
Kalama Intermediate School Principal Stephen Yamada said the eighth-grader, a straight-A student, plays French horn in the school band, is involved in student government and runs track.
"He put in a lot of effort, and we're just really stoked with how this turned out," Yamada said. "This is a feather in our cap for public schools to have a student like this."
Nicholas, whose parents are Doug and Maile Jachowski, said he spent two years preparing for the geography bee — formally known as the National Geographic Bee — reading atlases and encyclopedias of the world.
He spent about three hours a night poring over maps, and five to six hours studying on weekends.
Nicholas said he was inspired to compete when his brother, Matthew, 16, made it to the national spelling bee two years ago.
Kyle Haddad-Fonda of Washington state, who was competing in the bee for the third time, won first place.
The question Nicholas missed was, "India's most populous state has an estimated 150 million people. Name the state."
"I guessed the most populous one I know, which is Punjab," he said. The correct answer was Uttar Pradesh.
