Clark Lane Middle School’s Geography Bee Champion Is… [VIDEO]

Another year, another champion at Clark Lane Middle School.

Friday, Jordan Bordner won the middle school’s annual Geography Bee and has a chance to compete in the state tournament. Bordner is a sixth grader, and students don’t learn geography until the seventh grade, so everything he learned about geography he learned thanks to Steve Jobs.

“There is an app I use,” Bordner said. “I’ve been studying.”

Bordner outlasted Sophie Joseph in a nail-biting three-question championship round. Bordner got the first question right and then both got the second one wrong. For the third question, they both wrote down the same answer (Chile, which was right), guaranteeing Bordner the victory.

“I was very nervous,” Bordner said. “(Joseph) gave me a really tough challenge. I’m absolutely astonished that I won.”

A student from each team at the middle school earned a spot in the annual tournament, meaning nine children participated. The students earned the spot after winning individual geography competitions within their own team (there are three teams per grade).

For the first round, students were asked questions individually and then all at once, where they would write down the answers on white boards. The round went on until seven of the children were eliminated, leaving just Bordner and Joseph to vie for the top spot.

There, each student was asked three questions. Despite Bordner winning, 2-1, Joseph was gracious in defeat.

“I’m happy that I made it that far,” Joseph said.

Now, Bordner will take a test to see if he will be one of the 100 students who qualifies for the Connecticut Geography Bee. If he can win there, he’ll move on to the national tournament, where Alex Trebek hosts the finals.