Student geography buffs will compete today in the 1999 State Geography Bee at the E. Benjamin Oliver School.
The 27 students will vie for the chance to represent the Virgin Islands at the National Georgraphy Bee in Washington, D.C., in late May.
The Bee was developed by the National Geographic Society in an effort to improve knowledge of geography in American classrooms. The effort started in 1985 when the society launched a comprehensive campaign to improve the teaching methodology and to elevate the status of geography in curricula, according to the National Geographic Society.
The winner of the national bee this year will receive a special prize awarded by Bank One, the exclusive corporate sponsor of the competition: Bank One will send the winner and his or her family to Sydney, Australia,
for seven days. The prize includes transportation, lodging, meals and sightseeing.