Fourth-grader tops school geography bee
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CHARLO — As fourth-grader Lane Smyth waited for the Charlo School geography bee to begin last Wednesday, he was more than a little apprehensive. He’d already taken second in his class competition, but now was faced with competing against 14 other students, including older kids up through eighth grade, who had placed in the top three in their respective grades.
“I was very nervous — very, very nervous,” Lane said. “One wrong answer, and you’re out ... There’s some hard questions.”
But as the hour-long bee wore on, Lane found that he had all the right answers. And soon enough, he was being awarded the first-place trophy and medal, along with a chance at competing in the state-level geography bee. Winning felt great, Lane noted with a smile.
On Thursday, he took a 70-question qualifying test for the state bee, which will be held in April.
“I’m guessing I got probably 35 of them right,” Lane said.
He’ll have to score among the top 100 students out of winners at participating Montana schools to qualify for the state National Geographic Bee, and the school will be notified in early March if Lane made the cut. But for now, Lane, mom Kelly, dad Jeff and younger brother Levi are happy with his success in the school bee. While the shiny new trophy and medal make a nice addition to Lane’s bedroom, the best reward may have been the family’s trip to the Malt Shop for ice cream after school on Wednesday for Lane’s favorite: death by chocolate.
Another of Lane’s favorite things may have been the key to his win: reading. A voracious reader, Lane said it’s easy for him to remember information he reads even just once. Each time Lane was read a question at the school bee, his mom breathed a sigh of relief as she realized her son had covered the material in his study packet.
And even as a small child, Lane showed an affinity for geography — he always knew where he was when riding with his parents in the car, Kelly said.
“If I’ve been there before, I can tell you (how to get there),” Lane said.
Reading has broadened Lane’s horizons even further by taking him on adventures all over the world. His favorite books are mysteries, but “he just reads anything he can get his hands on,” Kelly said.
“I just love to read,” Lane agreed. “I can’t get my nose out of a book.”
