Ten Watertown Middle School students will go up on stage in the auditorium on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 8 a.m. and compete against each other in the Geography Bee.

The winner of the Bee, which will be led by sixth-grade World Geography teacher Eleanor Donato, will represent Watertown in the statewide Geography Bee.

Dario Christie, one of the 10 finalists, said, “I’m not afraid because the studying I’ve done has prepared me well enough for this competition.”

Dario said he has been studying geography for as long as he can remember. He has traveled to many countries, thanks to his parents who also share the same love for travel and geography.

To prepare for the Geography Bee, he ordered an official study guide and went through the book, reviewing anything he didn’t know. He also used the website Natgeo.com to prepare. (You can never study enough, right?)

The preliminaries were taken by all WMS students on Friday, Dec. 12, in extended homeroom. Students wrote down their answers to questions asked by the teachers.

A record of 35 students scored a perfect seven out of seven.

On Monday, Dec. 15, Mrs. Donato gave those 35 kids took a written test to determine the 10 finalists.

“I have tough competition [in the finals],’’ Dario said. “The rest of them made it this far, they must be really good at geography.”

All WMS students will be on hand for the finals, and parents are invited to come as well.

–Dec. 22, 2014–