William Ott semifinalist in Massachusetts Geography Bee

William Ott, a sixth grade student at Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School in Seekonk, has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2013 Massachusetts National Geographic Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek. This is the 25th anniversary of the Bee. Bees were held in schools with fourth-through-eighth grade students throughout the state to determine each school's Bee winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. 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 National Geographic Society invited the students with the top 100 scores to compete at the state level.

The 2013 Massachusetts National Geographic Bee will be held at Worcester Academy on Friday, April 5, 2013.

The state winner will receive $100, the "Complete National Geographic on DVD,' and a trip to Washington, D.C. where he/she will represent Massachusetts in the national finals at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 20-22, 2013. The first-place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the Society. The national winner will also travel(along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galapagos Islands. The winner will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscape of Galapagos. Travel for the trip will be provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.

National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild will air the final round of the 2013 national Geographic Bee, moderated by Alex Trebek, on Thursday, May 23, 2013.