[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.