A poll conducted by the National Geographic in the not-too-distant past showed that half of Americans ages 18 to 34 could not find Mississippi on a map. For sixth grader Andy S., U.S. geography is a piece of cake although, granted, he’s much more astute than most.

As Coloradans celebrate opening day for the Rockies on Friday, April 5, Andy will compete in the 25th annual Colorado Geographic Bee at the University of Denver. He’ll put his knowledge of the world’s cities, countries and continents into action against other geography geniuses in Grades 4-8.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge,” Andy says. “Even if I don’t make it to the nationals, I’ll still be happy I made it to the state bee.”

Andy capably beat out other Graland contenders in Grades 6-8 during a preliminary competition and passed a qualifying test before gaining admittance to the state-level contest. There, he’ll be one of 100 contestants vying for a spot in the championship round that will determine the Colorado winner. The competition is primarily conducted orally, similar to a traditional spelling bee.

To prepare, Andy is studying bee questions from past years and keeping up on current events around the world. He is extremely unpretentious, but if pressed will admit, “I know North and South America the best. Asia is harder for me to learn.”

If Andy wins the state competition, he’ll get $100, a gift from the National Geographic Society and a free trip to Washington, D.C. for the national bee in May. His history teacher, John Caldwell, will be along for the ride. Andy is allowed to bring one teacher to the competitions for moral support, and he knows Mr. Caldwell’s got his back.

"Andy has shown an amazing grasp of geography and social studies,” John says. “He is an intelligent and thoughtful young man. We are extremely proud to have Andy represent Graland and wish him luck this Friday."

<<UPDATE: Andy placed in the top 20 out of 100 competitors. We're proud of him for this amazing achievement!>>