Knowledge of geography has earned eight Kootenai County students the chance to compete at this year’s Idaho Geographic Bee.

The state geography competition, sponsored by the National Geographic Society, takes place Friday, March 31, on the Brigham Young Idaho University campus in Rexburg.

School-level geography bees were held for fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout Idaho to determine which students would advance to the state bee.

Local students eligible to compete in the state contest include:

Dalten Rhoads, grade six, Athol Elementary; Katherine Barney, grade six, Canfield Middle; Josie Romero, grade five, Dalton Elementary; Eleni King, grade four, Fernan Elementary; Jayd Zachary, grade five, Hayden Meadows; Jake Skreenock, grade seven, Lakes Magnet Middle; Noah Waddell, grade five, Skyway Elementary; Nathan Rings, grade seven, Woodland Middle.

Students from 10,000 schools across the United States are competing in this year’s National Geographic Bee. The champion from each state will qualify to compete in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 14-17.

The National Geographic Bee is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.