By Vilma Angulo - St. Bonaventure Church
DAVIE | Alejandro De Santis, a fifth grader at St. Bonaventure School, is headed to the state competition for the National Geographic Geography Bee. He is one of only 100 students in Florida who will compete in Jacksonville March 31.
With a natural aptitude for U.S. and world geography as a toddler, Alejandro began identifying U.S. states as he solved a wooden jigsaw puzzle at the age of two. He loved playing with a world globe and an Atlas and then challenged himself to learn all the world flags.
An avid viewer of National Geographic Channel, Alejandro has always enjoyed learning geographical facts, especially about the places around the world he has had the opportunity to visit, such as Italy, Spain and Puerto Rico. He also has visited California, Chicago, Washington D.C., and several cities in Florida.
After winning the school level of the National Geographic Bee competition, he was eligible to take the online qualifying test and advanced to the state competition. State winners will compete in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 14-17.