Mars Area students in fifth through eighth grades will participate in the 2017-2018 Geography Bee Final Round Qualifier at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at Mars Area Centennial School gymnasium.

To prepare for the event, all students at Mars Area Middle School and Mars Area Centennial School completed a 50-question, written geography exam based on the physical and cultural geography of both the United States and the world during their social studies classes.

The top 50 students who missed no more than eight questions then took a second round exam in December. The 10 students who missed no more than eight questions will advance to the final round on Wednesday, Dec. 20.

The winner of the schools’ Geography Bee will complete a written exam that will be mailed to the Pennsylvania State Geography Bee, which will notify the student as to whether he or she has qualified for the state contest on Friday, April 6.

The state winner will then advance to the National Geography Bee competition, to be held May 20-23, at The National Geographic Society headquarters (Washington, D.C.).

For more information, call (724) 625-2601 or visit www.nationalgeographic.org/bee.