By Lisa Carolin
Evan Sing, an eighth-grader at Beach Middle School, has drawn his motivation to study world geography from a love of the subject and from a desire to learn what he doesn’t already know.
Following failed attempts in sixth and seventh-grades to compete at the National Geography Bee competition, he made it to the Michigan National Geographic Bee state finals April 7 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and finished fourth in the state.
Nick Angel, principal of Beach, Tweeted, “What a big day and so proud of this young man. He is an excellent representation of what Chelsea is all about-hard working, sharp and just a great kid.”
“I’ve been studying for months and months,” said Sing, who first had to take a 70-question qualifying test. “I spent 100-plus hours on Google Maps and I’ve got maps all over my bedroom. I love looking at places around the world.”
His favorite geographical subject is rivers.
“I like studying rivers because you learn about where they start and end, and all the cities along them,” he said.
Sing credits two of his Beach teachers with helping him with his geography skills – Mike Lott, his global studies teacher, and Kristine Henry, his history teacher.
He says he was nervous during the preliminary rounds of oral questions at the National Geography Bee, but once he made it to the finals, he really focused on answering the questions correctly.
“I’m glad I did it,” said Sing. “I got way farther than I thought. Even though I didn’t win, I’m still happy I did it. Geography is one of my favorite things to study. I don’t know how I would have spent my time without having it to study.”
The experience of going to the Bee offered Sing at least one idea for a career.
“There was a professor from China there, who travels all around the world studying water conservation,” said Sing. “Traveling is one of my favorite things to do, and I like the idea of problem solving and planning for the future.”
It just so happens that in the near future Sing will fulfill a traveling dream. If he could go anywhere in the world, his choice is Japan, “because the culture there is cool, and I like the mix of natural beauty and high-tech cities like Tokyo.”
Sing will attain that dream in June when he travels to Japan as part of a Beach Middle School exchange program.
