For Immediate Release s456

March 30, 2016

For immediate release

Contacts: Tom Williams, APR [email protected] Office: 410-581-4031

Mary Miles [email protected] Office: 410-568-8821 MPT to air final round of Maryland’s National Geographic State Bee on Saturday, April 9 Students from across Maryland to compete in state bee at MPT’s studios on April 1

OWINGS MILLS, MD – Maryland Public Television (MPT) will air a one-hour recorded version of the final round of Maryland’s National Geographic State Bee on Saturday, April 9, at noon on MPT-HD. The state qualifying event for the 28th Annual National Geographic Bee takes place on Friday, April 1, at MPT’s Owings Mills studios. Hillary Howard, reporter and news anchor at WTOP Radio, serves as host of the event.

Approximately 100 Maryland students, grades four through eight, are competing for a place in the national event in Washington, D.C., on May 23 - 25. Students who won their school bees earlier this year took a qualifying test to determine their state-level eligibility.

State bee champions will receive $100, the National Geographic book “The National Parks: An Illustrated History” and a medal, and will represent his or her state in the championship round in May.

Each year thousands of schools in the United States, Atlantic and Pacific territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to inspire students to be curious about the world.

The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. The national champion will also travel (along with a parent or guardian), all expenses paid, on a Lindblad expedition to southeast Alaska aboard National Geographic Sea Lion, including a stop at Glacier Bay National Park, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers will receive $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships, respectively.

About MPT Launched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). MPT’s six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards, MPT creates local, regional, and national television shows. Beyond broadcast, MPT’s commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of 19 million page views annually. MPT’s community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, education, and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings, and phone bank call-in opportunities.