Jewell wins New Richmond Middle School Geography Bee

They next time Abby Jewell’s family goes on a driving trip for vacation they can leave their GPS at home. When they want to know where they’re at, all they have to do is ask Abby.

“My mom (Rebecca Jewell) and my grandma (Beverly Jewell) take me to a lot of historic places in the summer and I’ve always paid attention to where we’re at,” said Abby Jewell, an eighth grader at New Richmond Middle School.

The summer trips coupled with her interests in social studies and history paid off for Abby in the school-level competition of the National Georgraphic Bee.

Jewell won the New Richmond Middle School competition in January and a chance at a $25,000 college scholarship.

The school-level Bee, at which students answered oral questions on geography, was the first round in the National Geographic Bee.

The kickoff for this year's Bee was the week of Nov. 9, with thousands of schools around the United States and in the five U.S. territories participating.

The school winners, including Jewell, will now take a written test; up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will be eligible to compete in their state Bee April 9, 2010.

The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state champions and teacher-escorts to participate in the Bee national championship rounds on May 25 and 26.

The first-place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the society, and a trip to the Galápagos Islands.

"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek will moderate the televised national finals on May 26.