Rowdy knows his place(s)

Rowdy Alameda, fifth grader at Saratoga Elementary School, qualified to compete in the state-level competition for the National Geographic Bee.

Alameda won the school-level competition at Saratoga Elementary School, which qualified him for the state-level. He is the only student from Carbon County who will be competing at state.

According to the National Geographic Bee website, "The contest is designed to inspire students to be curious about the world." The National Geographic Society prepares the question material.

A wide variety of geographic-based questions are asked during the competition, according to Alameda. "Some of them were asking about waterways in the US, and others were about historical monuments," said Alameda. "Mostly I like learning about all of the new names, each country and where it's at on the map."

The champion of the Wyoming State Bee will move on to nationals, which will be held May 22-25 at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington D.C.

If Alameda wins state, he will make sure that he is ready for nationals. "Hopefully I can make it to nationals," Alameda said. "I would be studying from the day that state ended probably."

The Wyoming State Bee will be held on April 1.