COOS BAY — What does a tornado in Missouri have to do with staging a geography bee in Coos Bay? The latter probably wouldn’t have happened without the other.

Students at Sunset Middle School took their first steps toward competing in the 2009 National Geographic Bee this week thanks to the efforts of seventh-grade social studies teacher Crystal Kirk.

Kirk had taught eighth-grade U.S. history last year in the southwestern part of the Show-Me state when a meteorological event common in that part of the country struck.

“Our house took a direct hit from an F1,” Kirk said. “I don’t deal well with tornadoes. Weather here, I can deal with.”

A native Oregonian, Kirk returned to the Beaver State this fall and got a job at Sunset. She brought with her a love of geography and a way to get students more engaged in the subject.

During her last year in Missouri, Kirk organized a geography bee. When she arrived in Coos Bay, she asked Principal Jon Mishra if she could start one at Sunset. He gave the thumbs up.

That’s how 16 seventh-graders found themselves sitting on the steps in the school’s multi-purpose room Tuesday afternoon. Kirk explained to the students they would be competing for one slot in the state contest to be held early next year. If they do well there, they could wind up competing for the championship in Washington D.C.

When some of their classmates spilled into the room, some of the pre-teenagers gasped and pleaded to not have to answer questions in front of an audience. Kirk told them they better get used to it.

“If you get to Washington, you will have thousands of people there and millions of people watching worldwide,” she said.

Once the questions started, the students grew quiet as Kirk walked back and forth down the line. She asked about continents, U.S. states and cities. Some questions elicited giggles and fist bumps from the students, especially when they answered about their home state.

Kirk asked Christina Clayton if Upper Klamath Lake in the Cascade Range is in North Dakota or Oregon.

“Oregon,” she said, then confided in her classmates. “That was so easy.”

The students’ first four questions gave them options from which to choose. But for the final round, they got no such assistance when asked about continents.

In addition to the 16 seventh-graders, eight eighth-graders were tested Tuesday, while another group of seventh graders were tested Wednesday.

They were winnowed down to a group of 10 finalists who will face an even tougher battery of questions today to determine the school’s top geography student.

Samantha Ashford will be there. She got four of her five questions right, good enough to make it into the select group. She decided to give the competition a try because of her interest in world geography and its history.

“I think other places are more interesting than where I live,” she said.

Marissa Cato also got through to today’s contest. She was a little disappointed the questions didn’t focus on foreign countries, particularly those in the Mediterranean.

“I’m really thrilled with Greek stuff,” she said.

All the finalists are seventh-graders except Mike Stephens, who made it through with four correct responses. His only slip came in the final round when he couldn’t say where the Sonoran Desert is (North America).

“Some questions were easier than others,” Stephens said. “I just didn’t know that.”

Kirk said she was happy with the students’ performance and thinks whoever tops the school could do well at state.

“There are several kids that are very bright and stand a really good chance,” she said.