Lucas C. Mackey may soon be in jeopardy. Well not exactly, but if the Lake Travis Middle School 8th grade student continues his winning ways, he will be fielding questions from one of America’s best-known TV game show hosts.

Mackey has qualified to represent LTMS and the Lake Travis Independent School District as a semifinalist in the 2010 Texas Geographic Bee scheduled for April 9 at the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District Pat May Center in Bedford. Sponsored by Internet search engine giant Google, Inc. and Plum Creek, the largest and most geographically diverse private landowner in the nation, the state winner will receive $100, the “National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World,” and a trip to Washington, D.C. where he or she will represent Texas at the National Geographic Bee May 25-26.
The final round of the national bee, hosted by Alex Trebek of Jeopardy!, will air on the National Geographic Channel and public television stations.
“We are so proud of Lucas,” said LTMS history teacher and Geographic Bee coordinator Elisa Garrett. “He has a true passion for geography. He will be a great ambassador for our school, our District, and our state.”
Dustin Payne, Lucas’ history teacher, expressed his support stating, “Lucas’ hard work and dedication have prepared him for this incredible opportunity. He will make a great contestant.”
The first-place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership into the Society, and an all-expenses paid trip (along with one parent or guardian) to the Galápagos Islands where they will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the area’s wildlife and landscape. A teacher from the school district of the national winner will receive a trip to attend the Google Geo Teacher Institute in July 2010, where he/she will receive hands-on experience with Google’s resources and learn about innovative instructional strategies.
Bees were held with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school’s Geographic Bee winner. All school-level winners then took a qualifying test which they submitted to the Society. In each of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and the U.S. territories, the Society invited the students with the top 100 scores to compete at the state level.
For more information on the National Geographic Bee, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee.