St. Michael's Academy Student to Participate in State Geography Bee

Carmichael Patch Whiz Kid:

Name: Eric McKinley, 6th grade

School:

Accomplishment: Will participate in a state geography bee Friday at Cosumnes River College for the second consecutive year.

Key to Awesomeness: Eric, 12, is representing St. Michael's Academy, a K-11 traditional Catholic school of only 25 students.

"I have been studying my atlases and other geography books to prepare," he said.

Eric passed a written test at St. Michael's and the state final is an oral exam that covers not only countries but also rivers, mountains, bays and even weather patterns.

He said he occassionally studies during lunch and his grandmother Carol McKinley, the vice principal at St. Michael's, helps him study for the finals.