'Junior Scholastic' Names Hilary Dowdy of Gulfview Middle School In Naples, Florida, Grand Prize Winner of 8th Annual 'Can You Find the Mapman?' Contest; 10,000 Entries From 49 States and Mexico Received.

Gulfview Middle School Produces Grand Prize Winner for Second Straight Year

NEW YORK, May 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Many adults may not know the historical significance of the Midway Islands, but lots of kids now do, because it is this year's mystery destination for Scholastic Magazines' annual "Can You Find the Mapman(TM)?" contest. Hilary Dowdy of Gulfview Middle School in Naples, Florida, won the grand prize in "Junior Scholastic(R)" magazine's 8th annual geography competition. For the first time ever, the same school has produced grand-prize winners for two consecutive years, as well as several runners-up.

This year's contest drew more than 10,000 entries from middle school students in 49 states and Mexico. Grand-prize winner Hilary Dowdy has won a $500 U.S. Savings Bond, and Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 2002 software. Twenty-five runners-up from schools nationwide will also receive the Encarta software and a Scholastic Mapman T-shirt. The contest results are featured in the May 8 issue of "Junior Scholastic."

The "Can You Find the Mapman?" contest tests kids' map-reading skills -- from recognizing political boundaries and locating cities using latitude and longitude to understanding time zones and…