MAP CHAMP KEEPS ON TRUCKIN'; BOY WINS GEOGRAPHY BEE AFTER TRACKING DAD'S ROUTES IN BIG RIG.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Postcards and road maps, which Alfred Fetui uses to track the routes of his truck-driver father, proved a good study aid for the fifth-grader, who won a geography contest Thursday at Cedarcreek Elementary School.

``I know a lot about geography. My dad's a truck driver, so he tells me about a lot of places,'' said Alfred, 10. ``Right now, he should be in Utah. My dad's been to every single state in the (lower) 48.''

Alfred emerged victorious from the 90-minute geography bee, a preliminary round in local, state and national competition sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Sixteen children from fourth through sixth grades competed at Cedarcreek.

In early rounds, students got to choose between two possible answers to each question about the physical features and climate in the United States, states' nicknames, and the economies and natural resources of countries around the world.

In later rounds, the youngsters had to name the continent or nation associated with various cultural and physical features. Judges tallied up the correct responses and narrowed the field to four finalists: Alfred, Ayesha Ali, Nicholas Murray and Dustin Helvie.

Alfred clinched victory by identifying Florida's largest lake, Lake Okeechobee, after he correctly answered questions about the Colorado River, Cajuns in the Louisiana bayou, and the rivers that flow into Chesapeake Bay.

Alfred credits his geography prowess to a fondness for maps, particularly the road atlases his father uses when hauling freight all over the country. Every year, when his dad gets a new atlas, he gives Alfred the old one, the boy said.

``I'm used to finding the easiest routes to places,'' Alfred said, recalling the year he plotted the route for a family trip to Lake Tahoe to celebrate his birthday.

The runner-up in the Cedarcreek bee was fourth-grader Nicholas, who said geography has been a favorite subject for a few years. ``I like that you can study about the world and all the different places and cultures,'' he said.

Students struggled with numerous questions in the early rounds. One youngster incorrectly identified Australia as a country with glaciers and another thought sugar cane plantations could be found in Alaska. Still others thought that Prague is in Denmark and that the Parthenon and the Acropolis are in Egypt.

But many of the elementary school students answered questions difficult for adults, much less elementary school children. One student, for example, knew that Farsi is the official language of Iran.

The annual National Geography Bee began in 1989 as a way to motivate schools to improve teaching of the subject. Thousands of schools take part in the competition. The state finals will be in April, and the state champions will compete in the National Geography Bee scheduled for May 25-26 in Washington, D.C.

The national champion will win a $25,000 college scholarship. Scholarships of $15,000 for second place and $10,000 for third also will be awarded.

Alfred's next step will be to take a written exam. The top 100 scorers in California will battle for the state's championship.

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) Ayesha Ali, one of four finalists, answers a question in the Cedarcreek Elementary geography bee.

(2) Nicholas Murray, who placed second among 16 contestants Thursday in the geography bee at Cedarcreek Elementary School, thinks about a question before answering.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News