WATERVILLE — Twenty-five students participated Jan. 8 and 9 in the annual Geography Bee at Waterville Junior High School.

The students were the top scorers from their social studies classes. The preliminary competition was held on the first day, finals on the second, according to a news release from Kimberly Daigneault, Geography Bee coordinator and grade 6 language arts and social studies teacher at the school.

Participants qualifying for the first round included sixth graders Madison Gervais, Simon Renaud, Alyssa Bofia, Lucy Hallen, Chloe Masse, Caleb Crowley, Tobias Crocker, Noah Robertson and Ben Scott; seventh graders Katie Arner, Brenden Beckwith, Garrett Gendreau, Xavier Hamlin, Martin Hazlehurst, India Sky Hernandez, Nathaniel Minot, Kate Rice and Maeve Wilcox; and eighth graders Owen Libby, Isabel Derosby, Nick Tibbetts, Ezra Haviland, Sam Bernier and Marianne Renaud.

Advancing to the final round were Nick Tibbetts, Garrett Gendreau, Elijah Ker, Martin Hazlehurst, Madison Gervais, Owen Libby, Isabel Derosby, Nat Minot and Ezra Haviland.

The school champion is Owen Libby and Nick Tibbetts was the runner-up.

Owen will take the online qualifying test at the junior high and hopes to qualify for the State Geography Bee to be held at the end of March.

The following members of the Bee Team did an outstanding job: Lisa Evans, bee mistress; Janeice Holmes, judge; Cam Bishop, timer and scorekeeper; and Julie Schoenthaler, co-facilitator.