Names in the News : Alex Trebek to Host Geography Bee
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WASHINGTON — 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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