Eighth-grader’s interests are all over the map

Sarah Jacobsen is a busy teenager.

In the eighth grade at Lakeland Junior High School, Sarah is on the track, volleyball and basketball teams and is enrolled in honors English. And when not participating in school activities, Sarah enjoys spending time with her church youth group.

So, when she recently became the only student in the Lakeland School District to qualify to compete in the state Geography Bee, finding time to prepare became a challenge.

“I tried to squeeze it in when I could, which was usually about 20 minutes a day,” said the articulate Jacobsen.

Jacobsen used a booklet provided by the National Geographic Society to study for the state competition, and she also went online.

But it took more than winning at the school level to qualify for the state competition.

Jacobsen was required to take a written test. The National Geographic Society then invited the students with the top 100 scores to compete at the state level.

“She was joking that she’d won the opportunity to take a test,” said Jacobsen’s mom, Karen Howell.

But Howell had no doubt her daughter would succeed.

“She has this knack for remembering things,” said Howell. “I am so proud that she made it so far” in the competition.

When Jacobsen and her mother attended the Boise competition in late March, Jacobsen admitted being nervous. But that dissipated as the competition progressed.

“At first, it was pretty nerve-racking,” said Jacobsen.

For the first stage of the contest, the group of 100 participants was broken into five groups of 20. The top 10 overall advanced to the final competition later in the day.

“I finished fifth in my group in the preliminaries,” said Jacobsen. “The four who were ahead of me all went to the finals. I was so close.”

The competition involved much more than knowing where places are located. The competitors were asked about different cultures and climates, and the questions also incorporated history, asking about wars as well as current world events.

“That was the hardest part of all,” said Jacobsen.

Examples of the questions include:

•”Calypso music, which reflects Spanish, Creole and African influences, originated on islands in which body of water?” Answer: Caribbean.

•”Which West African country, a member of OPEC, is known for its major oil reserves and is one of the largest producers of oil in the world?” Answer: Nigeria.

•”Pakistan, an arid country largely limited to short grass and shrub vegetation, depends on water from which major river?” Answer: Indus.

Jacobsen’s accomplishments include a great deal more than her recent trip to the state Geography Bee.

In the sixth grade, she won the chance to go to the state level of Invent Idaho, an invention convention for students in first through eighth grades. It was held at the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise.

For her project, Jacobsen invented a microscopic book magnet to hold pages in place when you put a book down.

“When you put a book down, pages fly all over, and bookmarks can be a hassle,” she said. So she invented microscopic magnets that attach on the upper corners of a book.

Jacobsen said she learned a great deal from her time in Boise, and she particularly enjoyed the Discovery Center.

Jacobsen’s accomplishments also have taken her out of state for an adventure that most kids can only dream about. In the summer before fifth grade, she won a scholarship to attend a five-day space camp in Huntsville, Ala.

A local grocery store, IGA, awarded Jacobsen the scholarship based on her entry. Applicants had been required to write an essay or draw a picture and explain how the picture related to them as an individual.

“I drew a picture of a butterfly, which symbolized how much I love art; a picture of a horse, which shows my love of nature; and a picture of an astronaut, showing how much I love space,” said Jacobsen.

While in Alabama, students were treated to a simulated flight in a replica of the space shuttle.

A well-rounded individual, Jacobsen has many talents that have not gone unnoticed.

Beth Brubaker, a teacher at Lakeland Junior High, has been impressed with her drive and accomplishments.

“She is very, very talented and a very capable young lady,” said Brubaker.

Jacobsen has a lot of energy. She’s putting it into things that will help her succeed in life.

“I encourage people to get out and do things,” she said. “It’s hectic, but it also is a lot of fun. And it is better than being bored.”