3 Local Students Vie in State Geography Bee

Three Valley students, including an autistic boy, will travel to the state level competition of the National Geography Bee on Friday, in a quest to ultimately be named the top geography student in the country.

Dennis William Kuo, an eighth-grader at Los Angeles Baptist High School in North Hills, Daniel K. Donnelly, a seventh-grader at Nobel Middle School in Northridge, and Christopher Farrell, a seventh-grader at Sutter Middle School in Winnetka will represent the Valley at the National Geographic Society-sponsored event in Sacramento.

Chris, a 12-year-old student with autism, has gained national attention for his uncanny ability to recall nearly every landmark, capital, river or mountain range in the world.

His special education teacher Julie Fabrocini said she noticed his interest in geography last year, and as she worked with him she realized Chris’ abilities were much higher than her average student.

In keeping with the school’s policy to mainstream students as much as possible, she asked the school’s geography teacher, Jim Hanley, to include him in a regular social studies class, where he excelled.

Chris, who says he’d one day like to visit Australia to see the “many different animals there,” also enjoys astronomy and coin collecting.

Characteristic of autism, Chris is often quiet and reserved; but at times he can be animated, flashing a huge grin recently as he quizzed Hanley about capitals of far-off countries.

Chris said the competition itself doesn’t make him nervous, but he admitted to being worried about his chances against about 100 of the best geography students in the state.

“I’m afraid I might not win this time,” he said. Fabrocini said she has been role-playing with him, practicing social skills and winning and losing conduct to prepare him for the competition.

But Fabrocini said whatever happens, Chris can still treasure his win against nearly 500 of his schoolmates in December, the first time in school history a special education student won a school-wide competition.

“If he never won one more thing, this has been wonderful for his self-esteem.”