Derek Wells explains to his mother, Paula, about all the places that he wishes to visit. Derek recently competed at the state geography bee and successfully captured the Utah title, along with winning the atlas that he looks through with his friends and family.
Derek is in the fifth grade at Pinnacle Canyon Academy. During the state event, he competed against 99 other students, primarily in higher grades.
Derek proved his knowledge of geography by defeating all the competition. His interest in geography came at a young age as he would sit and examine maps before he could even read.
Now that Derek has been named the state champion in geography, he will compete against 54 students at the national event in May in Washington, D.C.
As part of the national competition, Derek has been asked to bring 55 items that represent Utah to be shared with participants in the event. The competing students will exchange items and the participants will take home souvenirs unique to individual states.
Carbon fifth grader captures state geography bee title
