Sixth grader wins Rigby Middle School’s Geography Bee

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) - Rigby Middle School's Geography Bee happened Friday. It is tradition that has been around for more than 30 years.

Students are asked questions about global locations, terms and current events.

Of nine kids who competed, this years winner was sixth grader Beckham Ward.

"I guess they just had the questions in a random order and we're not sure. I had the kids, like, answer them. And if they got three questions wrong, they were out and I was the last one. Me and I won," Ward said.

With smart phones and all the world's geography knowledge at their fingertips, you might wonder why it's necessary to have kids memorize geography.

"It's important to know what's around them, what's going on. It's important to understand what's current. It's like important to understand the countries that's going on, the world events and making sure that they know what the neighboring countries are going to compare," Geography Bee organizer Jonathan Kindmark said.

All students who participated got a t-shirt and candy. 

The bee remains a beloved tradition of Rigby Middle School, one they hope to keep running as long as possible.