IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 804 
Congratulating Andrew Wojtanik for winning the 16th Annual National Geo-
graphic Bee, acknowledging the commitment of the National Geographic 
Society to geography education, and recognizing the need to improve 
geography education in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 28, 2004 
Mr. MOORE (for himself, Mr. RYUN of Kansas, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Mr. 
OWENS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, and Mr. BURNS) submitted the following res-
olution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Congratulating Andrew Wojtanik for winning the 16th An-
nual National Geographic Bee, acknowledging the com-
mitment of the National Geographic Society to geography 
education, and recognizing the need to improve geog-
raphy education in the United States. 
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 partici-
pation of millions of students and thousands of schools 
nationwide; 
Whereas Andrew Wojtanik, an 8th grade student at Lake-
wood Middle School in Overland Park, Kansas, displayed
•HRES 804 IH 
his mastery of world geography by winning the 16th An-
nual National Geographic Bee; 
Whereas Andrew Wojtanik competed against 54 other ele-
mentary, 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 geog-
raphy, 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 commit-
ment to educating students and the general public about 
the world around them; 
Whereas the National Geographic Society has demonstrated 
its historic commitment to geography education by cre-
ating the National Geographic Education Foundation, 
which is devoted to the improvement of geography edu-
cation in the United States and elsewhere; 
Whereas the National Geography Education Foundation 
played a crucial role in the creation of the Geographic Al-
liance Program, which is designed to improve the teach-
ing of geography in United States school systems; 
Whereas the Geographic Alliance Program has grown to in-
clude programs in States across the country; 
Whereas a study conducted by Mid-continent Research for 
Education and Learning recently found that students 
taught by members of the Geographic Alliance Program 
had significantly higher scores overall in the 2001 Na-
tional Assessment of Education Progress geography as-
sessment;
•HRES 804 IH 
Whereas Congress clearly indicated the importance of geog-
raphy education by designating geography as part of the 
United States educational system’s core curriculum in the 
landmark No Child Left Behind Act enacted in 2001; 
Whereas geography is the only core subject identified by the 
No Child Left Behind Act that lacks a specific Federal 
program designed to improve educational performance; 
Whereas geographic literacy has become increasingly impor-
tant as technology and world events more often cross bor-
ders, oceans, and continents; 
Whereas surveys consistently show that the level of geo-
graphic 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 Brit-
ain, 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 Asia and the Middle East; and 
Whereas the success enjoyed by the National Geographic 
Education Foundation and its programs indicates that 
attention to geographic education can improve student 
performance: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
•HRES 804 IH 
(1) congratulates Andrew Wojtanik, the cham-
pion of the 16th Annual National Geographic Bee, 
for his comprehensive knowledge of geography; 
(2) acknowledges the commitment of the Na-
tional Geographic Society to improving the geo-
graphic literacy of all people in the United States; 
and 
(3) recognizes the need to find innovative, effec-
tive solutions to improve geography education in the 
United States. 
Æ