European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday May 27. 1991 the stars and stripes Page 9educationknowledge Washington apr David Stillman a 14-Ycar-old Idaho boy with glasses and braces relied on hours of study and one educated guess to win the National geography Bee. After 40 minutes of the arcane and unpronounceable it came Down to one question a what Type of land form is commonly associated with Orographic precipitation a Quot Mountain was David a answer and it on him a $25,000 College scholarship. Carlos de la Fuente whose wide Grin and confident manner in the presence of to cameras made him an audience favorite guessed Quot rain the 11-Ycar- old from Chandler ariz., went Down to. Defeat he got a $15,000 scholarship and said head be Back next year. Seated beneath the Seal of the National geographic society the 10 finalists All boys showed a such knowl. Edge of maps geology history and religion that some adults in the audience were unashamed to shrug in ignorance at the questions. John Taylor a sixth grader at men with Hill elementary Middle school in England was the department of do sense dependents schools representative. He was not among the finalists Taylor 1i, has attended the me with Hill school since kindergarten. His Moth. Or Anne Taylor is a teacher there. Stillman now the. Pride of Nezperce a town of about 500 in Western Idaho won the top prize in his second attempt in two years he said that on occasion a he resorted to guessing. For some of these Odds by Jimi Jones education writer a a it was the night before the adventure and while his mom packed his Luggage National spelling Bee contestant Jeff Sellers did some final preparation of his own. 1 a a 1 a a he a just come Down the Steps with his list of words in his hand a said Louise Sellers on Friday night. A the lives with Jeff who on March 16 became the Winner in the ninth annual european. Spelling Bee spent the final few hours a t u Day s to dying b e fore leaving for the Skripps Howard National spelling Bee a a. A a a i. A a 1. A. A. A questions though All the guessing in the world have done any Good. Try this one a olduvai Gorge in Africa is part of a fault system where scientists have found a a that number of hominid fossils. Name this fault if you answered a East Africa rift system a then you might also have read enough books to know what a karst is. The answer a the term for the Type of Topography characterized by sinkholes caverns and underground streams a Here a another one a according to the theory of Continental Drift during the mesozoic Era the supercontinent Pangaea became two landmasses. The Southern landmass is called Gondwanaland. What name is Given to the Northern landmass a its Lauresia. A the Bee was part show Biz. Host Alex Trebek of tvs a jeopardy a Fame found himself in a Battle of wits with artillery one rarely finds on a commercial game show. He had fits pronunciation corrected and had to counter complaints about name cards and flashing lights. At one Point he found himself having a huge1 Bow and Arrow pointed at him to illustrate a question he was Reading about the fierce Yano Inami people of South National geographic society which h started the Bee t h re e be a is ago estimated that 5 million students in fourth through1 eighth grades took part in the initial round at-38,000 schools in january and february. Quot a a a a David Stillman raises the $25,000 Check he won at the National geography Bee to enter the big time in Washington. Jeff and his father senior master sgt. David Sellers a communications technician with the nato airborne warning and control system at Geilen Kirchon Germany left on a flight from Brussels Belgium Jeff took a three Weeka Heller break after winning the 1991 compete l lion in Heidelberg run by the european a Congress of american parents teachers and students a. A since then in be been studying pretty hard a said the 13-year-okl from of cent High school in the just looping i do Well a he said the National spelling been now in its ,64th Vear involved 9 million pupils tins year a a the Tiiu ils were to begin monday with More than 200 pupils participating -"1 think i have prepared All that 1. Can and what happens1 happens a he All expense paid trip to Washington is sponsored by the stars and stripes lie and his dad were excited about the Opportunity to visit Washington. Quot neither of us have Heen there before a David Sellers said Friday. A a we re 7 also looking Forward to the sightseeing. A Jeffrey is excited about another Competition. Although he is a Little nervous he thrives on Competition. A a the first Throe rounds will he words he a familiar with then they open up the dictionary a David Sellers said. A a from there its the Luck of the draw and a lot of Senate probe blasts student loan program by Jason Deparle the new York times Washington a the Federal student loan program is a plagued with fraud and abuse at every level a allowing Shady Trade school operators to prey on the poor and Rob taxpayers of billions of dollars a yearlong a Senate investigation concluded last week. 1 the permanent subcommittee on investigations said the department of education through a Gross mismanagement ineptitude and neglect a had a a All but abdicated its responsibility to students and taxpayers alike. As a result the. Programs future is a a hanging in the ,�?� said sen Sam Nunn d-ga., who chairs the panel. These conclusions come As Congress is expected to approve major changes this year in the student loan program As part of its reconsideration of the Laws governing higher education which expire this year. Education Secretary Lamar Alexander has a knowl edged the need for major changes since taking office in March and the department proposed new guidelines last month. In a statement on monday Michael j. Farrell alexanders chief aide for the loan program said the Senate report a provides significant and very usable information and this will make my Job a a Senate aide said the administration and the com Mittee Are generally in agreement on the changes that Are needed to save the program. A a we re on the same Page a the aide said. But lobbyists for the Trade schools Are expected to fight Many of the proposals. In eight years losses under the program have risen More than 500 percent to$2,7 billion last year from $448 million in 1983 losses to taxpayers Over that time total almost $13 billion. The investigation traced Many of the program abuses a to profit seeking Trade schools which account for 22 percent of the Loans but 44 percent of the defaults. Ten percent of the students at four year colleges default on their Loans compared with 39 percent of the students at Trade schools the report said. Many of the Trade schools aggressively recruit the Oor passing out leaflets in housing projects and Wel Are offices. School representatives help the students sign up for federally guaranteed Loans for thousands of dollars much of which Are turned Over to the Trade schools Promise lucrative jobs As for of ample truck Drivers beauticians or medical assistants but the students often Lack the ability to Complete the courses 1 in other cases the courses themselves Are flawed taught in ill equipped building Srby unqualified teachers. As a result the investigation concluded Many students wind up worse off than they started still Unzem 8 played and now deeply in debt. When they default on the Loans the taxpayers pay through the loan guarantees to the Bank examples of abuses heard in testimony included that of a Texas truck driving school that arranged $5,000 in Loans for a student who could not get a state License because she had Only one foot. A. A _ some Industry representatives culled the abuses a St Ternent monday Stephen Blair president. Of the National association of Trude and technical schools a lobbying group said the Trade schools play a f Central role in training americans for skilled jobs but he conceded a we agree that Federal student Aid programs must be reformed a 1 but several experts testified that abuses were wide spread. A the syst no is so fundamentally Rotten that it simply does not and perhaps cannot keep up Vilh uncovering All the bad actors Elizabeth Imholz told the subcommittee. She is with the South Brooklyn us to services which represented some of the students. The schools Are regulated by three layers of authority state licensing agencies private accrediting groups and the education department but state agencies Are 1 often a woefully undermanned a the report said. In and Luwin Quot or err Ait 1 inn ran Tif a Nuht ii Rel the a Educa. Any. Edition a accreditation can be bought a and the Educa a up. To the anuses the report said. Lion department has a a dismal record of indifference amp
