Names in the News : Alex Trebek to Host Geography Bee
Alex Trebek, the television game show host of “Jeopardy!” fame, will serve as host and moderator for the first National Geography Bee, the National Geographic Society announced today.
Fifty-six students, representing all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and several territories, will compete in the nation’s capital May 19 for the top prize of a $25,000 college scholarship.
The society, reacting to a recent study of international geographic knowledge in which American children ranked at the bottom, initiated the event--similar to a spelling bee--on a local level in January.
Trebek said geography is a popular category on “Jeopardy!” because “we believe knowledge of today’s world is essential. I’m extremely distressed that many young people in America know so little about this subject. I hope the geography bee will help change that.”
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