Hilltop student named NJ Geographic Bee semi-finalist

Sparta — Justin Ernsting, an eighth grade student at Hilltop Country Day School, has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2010 New Jersey Geographic Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek. Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school’s winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. Justin had a top 100 score for the state of New Jersey. State level competitions will now take place 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 2010 New Jersey Geographic Bee will be held at Rowan University in Glassboro on Friday, April 9. The state winner will receive $100, the “National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World,” and a trip to Washington, D.C., where he/she will represent New Jersey in the national finals at the National Geographic Society headquarters, May 25-26, 2010. The national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship. Under the guidance of Upper school social studies teacher, Robin Kaminsky, Hilltop Country Day School integrates map skills and geography knowledge throughout the 5th - 8th Grade Social Studies program. Through an eclectic approach, Mrs. Kaminsky encourages students to explore geography and the world throughout the school year. This is the second consecutive year that Hilltop Country Day School has sent a young geographer to the state level competition.