By Leslie Merchant
Kids can ask a lot of questions. “Why is the sky blue? How do you make ice cream? Do fish breathe underwater?” Griffin School student Lin Yee asks a lot of questions too, but her questions tend to be a bit more global than your average 10-year-old. In fact, her curiosity turned into opportunity as she recently won (for the second straight year in a row) the annual Griffin Geography Bee, beating kids more than three years older than her.
The Griffin Geography Bee took place in late January and was open to 4th through 8th grade students. Each year, one Griffin student has the opportunity to move on from the school competition to potentially compete at the state level (and beyond). Two students from each grade level (4th – 8th) were selected through class/grade competitions and then those students competed in the school competition. Lin, a fifth grader, was the school competition winner.
Early Beginnings
Lin’s penchant for places near and far began when she was a second grader. She eagerly points out that, “one time I was in Washington DC, and I memorized the subway map!” In fact, the first thing Lin does when the family travels is to pick up a map. A school poster advertising the National Geographic Bee sparked an interest that turned into a passion. Lin’s mom, Marina Yee, says, “Lin would ask us ‘Mom and Dad, what’s the capital of so and so country?’ We didn’t know so my husband decided to print out the whole list and let her look through it. We think that started it.”
Local Pride
Lin is a bit hesitant to talk about her unique talent, but Griffin School Principal and Superintendent Greg Woods is more than happy to sing her praises. “Each year, one Griffin student has the opportunity to move on from the school competition to potentially compete at the state level. Lin has won the Griffin Geography Bee two years in a row, and we are currently waiting to hear if she will qualify for the 2014 state competition.” Once a school winner is determined, that student must take a 70 question written test to see if they qualify for the Washington State Geography Bee to compete at the state level. If they win the state competition, they move to the national competition.
“Lin is a great student and works very hard in the classroom,” Woods adds. “It is quite an accomplishment to win our school competition once, let alone twice. It is even more impressive when you consider she won as a 4th and 5th grader, competing against middle school students.”
Passport Program
For the past several years, Griffin School has participated in the National Geographic Bee process. Woods says that Griffin’s interest in the Bee is directly related to the Passport Program, which was started at Griffin several years ago. “Geography has become a very important part of Griffin’s curriculum.” The Passport Program is made possible thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and a solid Parent Teacher Organization.
Yee’s mother, Marina, admits their own naiveté when it came to last year’s competition. “We didn’t know anything about the National Geographic Bee until she won last year, and then we started looking online and found out that the program is nationally sponsored by National Geographic and so that’s how we got to learn about the contest.” Last year’s win took Lin up to Pacific Lutheran University, where she missed one question in the preliminaries. Despite being disqualified, the Yees decided to stay and watch the rest of the Washington State competition. Marina says, “Most of the participating kids were middle schoolers. We knew Lin had a disadvantage because she was a few years younger, but it was a good experience, fun!”
Thousands of schools in the United States participate in the NGB sponsored by the National Geographic Society. The idea behind the contest is to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest, and increase public awareness about geography.
Regular Family
The Yees are a typical family in most ways. Both parents work, and like most families, homework and extra curricular activities are all part of the balancing act. Lin says, “I like swimming, I play the flute, and I play soccer. I like reading, but I do not like science fiction and I don’t really like fantasy.”
The Yees try to make every effort to give Lin and her two younger siblings all the resources and support they need to be successful. “We just want them (our children) to do the best they can and make good choices, to grow up and be responsible people,” summarizes Marina.
Griffin fifth grader Lin Yee is well on her way to doing just that.
