AUBURN – Nathaniel Hernandez, an eighth-grade student at Auburn Middle School, won the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee on Jan. 3 and a chance at the $25,000 college scholarship.

This is Nathaniel’s fifth consecutive year of winning the school-level bee, at which students answered oral questions on geography. It was the first round in the 20th annual National Geographic Bee for students in grades four through eight.

Thousands of schools around the United States and in the five U.S. territories participate. The school winners, including Nathaniel, take a written test; up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will be eligible to compete in their state bee on April 4.

Last year, Nathaniel qualified to compete at the state bee, representing Auburn for his third straight year as a semifinalist at the state level, in what would prove to be not only his best performance yet, but also the best performance of any Auburn Middle School student who has competed in Maine Geographic Bee.

For the preliminary round, the 100 competitors from grades four through eight were divided into five groups of 20 students. After eight questions were answered by all of the students in each group, the 10 students with the most correct answers moved on to the final round.

Nathaniel was the only student in his group with a perfect round, which advanced him to the final round. Auburn Middle School has had numerous representatives at the state bee over the years, but Nathaniel is the first to advance to the final round.

In the final round, students were eliminated when two incorrect answers were given, until only two students remained. A lengthy showdown took place among the last three students. They were asked numerous questions, before Nathaniel and Jack Walsh of Yarmouth became the last two standing. Each made only one error, and they prepared themselves for the championship round.

During that round, the same three questions were asked of the two finalists. The student who answered the most correctly would be the 2007 Maine Geographic Champion. At the end of the round, the two finished in a tie, which moved them into a tie breaker, which consisted of the same questions being asked of both students, with a single elimination rule in effect. The first student to make an error was named the runner-up.

Several questions were asked, as the two went head-to-head, before it finally came to an end with Nathaniel shaking the hand of Jack Walsh, the 2007 state bee champion.

After the competition, Nathaniel was determined to represent Auburn Middle School again as an eighth-grader to try to beat his personal best one more time in order to represent Maine in the 2008 National Geographic Bee. He has taken the first step at making that wish come true.

The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the state champions and teacher-escorts to participate in the national championship on May 20 and 21. The first-place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship.

“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek will moderate the national finals on May 21. The program will air on television. Check local listings for dates and times.