[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 87 (Friday, May 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO SUNEIL IYER, SECOND PLACE WINNER IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2007

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Suneil Iyer, a seventh grade student at Indian Trail Junior High School 
in Olathe, Kansas, who recently finished in second place at the 2007 
National Geography Bee.
  Suneil, who received a $15,000 college scholarship prize award, 
qualified for the national bee by winning the Kansas National 
Geographic Bee for the second year in a row. Like his family, friends 
and neighbors, I am very proud of Suneil, and welcome this opportunity 
to share news of his success with my colleagues in the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  Madam Speaker, I include with this statement two recent articles from 
the local press regarding Suneil Iyer's success: an article from the 
Kansas City Star that was published prior to the national bee, and an 
article from today's Olathe Daily News summarizing the results of that 
competition.

               [From The Kansas City Star, May 18, 2007]

  Three-Peat Not on Geography Whiz's Map: Indian Trail Student Placed 
              Fourth in National Geographic Bee Last Year

                          (By Martha Zirschky)

       Suneil Iyer has always loved animals, his mother says. The 
     Indian Trail eighth-grader is intrigued by the wildlife in 
     Antartica and says he'd love to travel there.
       A year ago, Suneil Iyer missed a question on the ``Somers 
     Islands''--aka Bermuda--at the National Geographic Bee finals 
     in Washington, D.C. and was eliminated.
       Many would find consolation in being the youngest finalist 
     and still finishing fourth on the national stage. But not 
     Suneil, now a 12-year-old Indian Trail Junior High seventh-
     grader who's again qualified for next week's final round.
       If he places in the top three and wins scholarships worth 
     $25,000, $15,000 or $10,000, he would be ineligible to return 
     again in 2008. That's his goal.
       ``I want to win and get it over with,'' he said.
       Suneil qualified for the national bee by winning the Kansas 
     National Geographic Bee for the second-straight year. Next 
     Tuesday, he'll be one of 55 fourth- to eighth-graders who 
     advanced from an original field of 5 million contestants to 
     compete in the national preliminaries. Tuesday's top 10 
     winners will move on to Wednesday's finals with Alex Trebec, 
     the Jeopardy host, serving as moderator.
       Suneil will join geography bee winners from the 50 states, 
     Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, United States Territories and 
     Department of Defense Dependents schools. His trip and that 
     of his seventh-grade social studies teacher, Jill King, are 
     being paid for by National Geographic.
       Contestants can miss one question, Suneil said, and still 
     stay in the running. Miss again and you're eliminated. Suneil 
     made it to question 95 last year before his second miss.
       The questions are both oral and written, and contestants 
     have 12 seconds to answer, Suneil said. Both physical and 
     cultural geography are fair game.
       His goal, of course, is the $25,000 college scholarship. 
     Second or third would be an improvement over last year. The 
     main thing, he says, is to win and not have to return to the 
     pressure mill of a national contest.
       Suneil has a large support system of family, friends and 
     school community.
       ``This is a nice cooperative community,'' his mother, Lila, 
     said. ``It is a great community in which to raise kids.
       Suneil's father, Ramakrishnan, is his main tutor, but he's 
     also mentored by Eswar, an older brother. Although Suneil 
     beat his brother last year at the state bee to win the trip 
     to nationals, Eswar remains one of his biggest fans.
       At Indian Trail, students even help Suneil by researching 
     geography questions and putting them on cards for Suneil to 
     study.
       ``The school supports Suneil with its `Suneil, did you 
     know?' (program),'' Assistant Principal Margo Twaddle said.
       Twaddle dispels the notion that Suneil is a one-trick pony. 
     He's been the school spelling bee champ, participated in the 
     Science Olympiad, been to math camp and played on a 
     recreational softball team.
       His career goals include becoming a pilot or marine 
     biologist, or--not surprisingly--a geographer. He won his 
     first geography bee when he was in fourth grade and began 
     drawing animals at age three.
       ``As a little guy, he was always interested in animals, 
     real or fictional,'' his mother said.
       Suneil's father travels extensively and occasionally the 
     family accompanies him, as they did on a ``trip of a 
     lifetime'' to the Galapagos Islands. The best part, Suneil 
     said, was the islands' animal inhabitants, such as the iguana 
     and giant tortoise.
       On Suneil's dream itinerary? Egypt for the antiquities, he 
     says, and Antarctica for the wildlife.
       But first, there's a trip to Washington D.C.
                                  ____


                  [From the Olathe News, May 24, 2007]

           Olathe Boy Places Second in National Geography Bee

                           (By Arley Hoskin)

       Olathe residents do not have to travel far to find a 
     geography whiz.
       Indian Trail Junior High School seventh-grader Suneil Iyer 
     demonstrated his talent Wednesday with a second-place finish 
     at the 2007 National Geography Bee.
       ``We are so proud of him,'' said Suneil's mother, Linda 
     Iyer. Suneil traveled to Washington, D.C., with his parents, 
     Linda and Ram Iyer, and his ninth-grade brother, Eswar, on 
     Monday. The preliminary rounds started Tuesday.
       The top 10 students competed in the final round Wednesday. 
     Suneil competed in the bee for the first time last year when 
     he placed fourth. He said he wanted to do better this year 
     and is happy with second place.
       ``I wanted to get first, but I still thought second was 
     pretty good,'' Suneil said.
       Suneil received a $15,000 college scholarship for his 
     finish.
       Suneil stumbled when judges asked him to name ``a city that 
     is divided by a river of the same name that was the imperial 
     capital of Vietnam for more than a century.''
       ``I just guessed,'' Suneil said.
       Suneil did not guess the correct answer: Hue.
       Caitlin Snaring, a 14-year-old home school student from 
     Washington, placed first and received a $25,000 college 
     scholarship. Third place, and a $10,000 college scholarship, 
     went to Mark Arildsen, a 13-year-old Tennessee student. Linda 
     Iyer said Suneil gained more than geographical knowledge and 
     college money during the competition.
       ``The connections with the kids that he's made have been 
     really wonderful,'' she said. ``The kids here are all just 
     really interested in this geography thing. They were just 
     having a ball here.'' After Tuesday's rounds, the students 
     gathered for a barbecue and games. Suneil said he enjoyed the 
     recreational activities the bee planned for the students.
       ``They were fun,'' he said.
       Ram Iyer said he thinks Suneil continues to show his peers 
     in Olathe that geography is fun.
       ``His school was very excited that he was going,'' Ram Iyer 
     said. ``This has made a lot of other students think about if 
     they want to try the geography bee.''
       Students age 10 to 14 can compete in the national bee, but 
     this will be 12-year-old Suneil's last year. Students who 
     place first, second or third cannot compete again.

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