Teen advances in contest
A Butler Catholic eighth grader will travel to Harrisburg this month to compete in the Pennsylvania State National Geographic Bee for the second time.
Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel Friel, the son of Jennifer and Matthew Friel, has always had a passion for history, said his mother.
“He’s a typical 14-year-old. He plays lots of sports, he’s completely involved in lots of stuff. And he just loves the facts about history and geography,” she said.
Nathaniel spends a lot of time watching the History Channel, and someday aspires to be a college history professor.
“History is what I really love the most, and that’s what, I guess, led to geography,” Nathaniel said.
His first year at the Geography Bee was surprising to him, and he’s excited to have an edge for the second time around.
“The first experience was kind of eye-opening, because everyone else knew exactly the same as you and probably even more. And you have a taste of what it’s like and how it’s set up. I’ll probably be a bit more relaxed, because I know how it works,” he said.
His teacher at Butler Catholic, Carol Dorcy, said Nathaniel has a knack for sharing facts during class.
“He’s one of those children who knows a lot about many different things. He’s like a sponge,” she said. “He always has a lot of really neat, fun facts to add to the classroom.”
After winning the Geography Bee at Butler Catholic, Nathaniel took a written test from the National Geographic Bee organization in an attempt to qualify for the state competition.
The test asks specific questions, such as fruits grown in a certain area, which religion is most widely practiced in a certain country, among other facts.
He was among the top scorers on the written test and will advance to the state competition on March 27. The state winner will advance to the national contest, which will be May 11-13 in Washington, D.C.
Adrian Zugehar, a seventh grader at Mars Middle School, also has qualified for the state competition.
