Fourth grader, Jeffrey Gaydos is really glad that he began watching the weather channel in his second grade. This news channel introduced him to states and cities throughout the U.S. and sparked his interest to know more. The weather channel is credited with helping him win St. Joseph School’s Geography Bee on Wednesday, January 5th.

“Watching the channel hooked him on geography,” said mom, Kathy. “If you watch, they go around the globe and talk about weather throughout the world,” she added. In the last few years, the family purchased a large hard-covered atlas and also a smaller book that Jeffrey has referenced. “It’s fun for him,” said mom, Kathy who added, “He often sits and goes over it.”

Jeffrey is also into all sports statistics. “He will sit with his dad and grandpa and pick teams and talk about point spreads.” Mom believes she’s either got a meteorologist or a statistician on her hands.

After competing in his fourth grade classroom competition, Jeffrey competed in the school-wide competition against nine other students ranging from fourth- through eighth-grade. “This is only the second time that a fourth grader took the school-wide Geography Bee since I’ve been teaching at St. Joseph,” said Jeff’s fourth grade teacher, Cindy Schultz. “Alumna, Connor Provenzale won as a fourth grader, and he is now a freshman in college,” she added.

Jeffrey isn’t the first in his family to compete in the Geography Bee finals at St. Joseph. His two older sisters also competed. “My daughter, Lauren got to the finals in both her seventh and eighth grades, but never made it to the final two. Then Jillian, now in eighth grade at St. Joseph, made it to the finals in her sixth grade, taking second in her competition,” said Kathy. Jeffrey is the first school-wide winner in his family, achieving it as a 9-year-old. “On my first question, I was so nervous that I nearly dropped the microphone,” said Jeffrey.

Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. Local schools began with classroom competitions beginning in early November and continued through mid-January. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.

Schools with students in grades four through eight are eligible for this entertaining and challenging test of geographic knowledge. This has been an annual tradition at St. Joseph School.

Schultz was a bit concerned for her two fourth grade geography students. “I was worried when they got to the latitude and longitude questions, because we haven't covered it in class yet,” said Schultz, “but both Jeffrey and Owen (Geraghty) said they just knew how to do it. I am so proud of my fourth graders!” Schultz wasn’t worried about her students knowing their states or capitals, as they had already covered them in class. “Jeff is so deserving of this. He is a very studious student, takes all of this to heart. I am tickled that he got it,” she added.

Mom, Kathy has already ordered the National Geography Bee study guide which Jeffrey plans to use in his studies. He’ll keep watching the weather channel and study the large atlas that the family invested in.

Schultz added, “Jeff came up to me today with a big grin and told me how he has a chance to compete statewide. I bet he’ll do it! I always tell my students, ‘you are all smarter than you think you are!’”

St. Joseph's schoolwide classroom competitors included Gr 4 Jeffrey Gaydos and runner-up Owen Geraghty, (who competed for absent Mateo Caulfield), Gr 5 Jack Eschenbach and Liam Kelly, Gr 6 Laura Harris and Brendan Loughran, Gr 7 Stephen Kovarik and Bryan Pedraza, and Gr 8 Pat Geraghty and Sean Harnik. These finalists competed for the school's top two positions.

As the top qualifier, Jeffrey will take a Qualifying Test which when returned will determine if he continues on to the state-level Geography Bee Competition on Friday, April 1st. One hundred school winners from each state proceed to these State Level Finals, based on these written tests scored by the National Geographic Society. St. Joseph has been represented at the State-level competition for the past two years.

Google, the sponsor the 2010 National Geographic Bee, provides students and teachers use of their Google Earth to explore the world. Winners at the state-level competition will determine who moves on to the May 24-25, 2011 National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C.