[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 815 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                       October 6, 2004.
Whereas the 16th Annual National Geographic Bee was held in Washington, D.C., 
        from May 25 to May 26, 2004;
Whereas the National Geographic Bee encourages the participation of millions of 
        students and thousands of schools nationwide;
Whereas Andrew Wojtanik, an 8th grade student at Lakewood Middle School in 
        Overland Park, Kansas, displayed his mastery of world geography by 
        winning the 16th Annual National Geographic Bee;
Whereas Andrew Wojtanik competed against 54 other elementary, middle, and junior 
        high school students from across the United States, Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Territories;
Whereas the National Geographic Bee tests the knowledge of students in a variety 
        of subjects related to world geography, including physical, economic, 
        cultural, political, and environmental topics;
Whereas the creation of the National Geographic Bee is an example of the 
        National Geographic Society's commitment to broadening the understanding 
        of students and the general public about the world around them;
Whereas geographic literacy has become increasingly important as technology and 
        world events more often cross borders, oceans, and continents;
Whereas surveys consistently show that the level of geographic knowledge among 
        people in the United States lags behind citizens of other countries;
Whereas a National Geographic-Roper survey of young adults between the ages of 
        18 and 24 in 9 different countries recently indicated that young adults 
        in the United States were outperformed in geographic literacy by young 
        adults in Sweden, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Great Britain, and 
        Canada;
Whereas the National Geographic-Roper survey also indicated that only 13 percent 
        of young adults in the United States between the ages of 18 and 24 could 
        correctly identify Iraq on a map of the Asia and the Middle East: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) congratulates Andrew Wojtanik, the champion of the 16th Annual 
        National Geographic Bee, for his comprehensive knowledge of geography; 
        and
            (2) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make 
        available enrolled copies of this resolution to Lakewood Middle School 
        in Overland Park, Kansas, for appropriate display and to transmit an 
        enrolled copy of this resolution to Andrew Wojtanik and his family.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.