Thrills in a close Geo Bee final

NORTH CANAAN — Francesca Ghi has claimed the Geography Bee crown at North Canaan Elementary School for the second year in row. The eighth-grader battled for the win Dec. 22, edging out her good friend, Tyler Sebben.

“It came down to a tiebreaker between us, which I knew was going to be tough,� Francesca said, “because we were both getting all the same ones right and all the same ones wrong. It was definitely very exciting.�

It was much like last year, when the final elimination went for 11 rounds. As in a spelling bee, the winner is the one who correctly answers a question the runner-up misses. This time, the question was: In what California valley was the highest temperature recorded in the United States?

Death Valley was the correct answer.

“That was one I actually knew,� Francesca said.

Well, obviously not the only one.

For Francesca, the big difference between this and last year was that her mom, Barbara Ghi, was able to be there.

Ghi said that surprising her daughter was a big deal. Last year, she was undergoing knee surgery the same morning as the Geo Bee. Francesca was distracted, but thought it might have helped, by eliminating her anxieties over the competition.

Inspired by the win, she did a little extra studying this year — although she realizes you can’t cram when world geography is the subject.

Her advice: Get a good idea of where countries and major geographical features are located, and find an interesting way to digest facts that are likely to be asked. Francesca recommends National Geographic Magazine. The publisher sponsors the bee, which progresses through regional and national championships. Her prize last year was a stack of the magazines, and she is hooked on them.