A Blaine eight-grader knows where it's at, and that knowledge has won him a trip to the nation's capital.

Adhithya Anandaraj, of Roosevelt Middle School, captured top honors Friday at the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee Minnesota State Competition held at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus.

Anandaraj was among roughly 100 students in grades 4 through 8 who tested their wits about geography, culture, physical features, history and earth science.

Anandaraj moves on to the National Geographic Society's national competition at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., from May 19 to 22. His victory also won him $1,000 and a medal.

The national champion receives a $25,000 college scholarship, a trip to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II and a lifetime National Geographic Society membership.

Also at the same location last week, teams of students from Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin faced off in the project-based GeoChallenge in hopes of capturing one of 16 regional berths to nationals.

Six members of a team from Forest Lane Community School in Montello, Wis., were victorious: Mona Carlson, J.D. Gonzalez, Landon Larson, Urijah Magnus, Brooklyn O'Malley and Robert Rygiewicz.

This year's debut of the GeoChallenge required students to learn about and take action on the urgent issue of single-use-plastic pollution in our waterways.

The team that wins the GeoChallenge competition will receive a $25,000 team prize, a trophy and input on to implement their GeoChallenge solution from National Geographic staff.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482