Name a country or its flag, and there is a strong possibility Norris Clark of Vankleek Hill will know all about it.

The 11-year-old Grade 6 student at École élémentaire catholique Saint-Grégoire loves Geography, especially maps and flags. At the International Academic Competitions Geography Bee, he recently competed in two competitions online and at the Canadian National Championships held in Ottawa on April 18 and 19. He placed fourth among elementary school students and won gold in maps and flags. Norris has now qualified for the World Championships taking place in Thailand this July. However, getting there is a challenge involving time and finances, but he will definitely be competing at the middle and elementary school 2026 championships in Orlando, Florida from May 21 to 25.

Norris has been very interested in maps and flags since he was six years old.

“I had a lot of fun with maps and stuff,” he said.

“I started doing research.”

His parents Dane Clark and Ashley Millway saw that Norris had a unique interest and wanted him to have the opportunity to pursue it. That led to participating in geography competitions.

“I wanted him to have an outlet to talk to other kids who were as interested as he was,” Millway said.

Norris said he likes drawing maps but is not sure yet if his interest will lead to a geography-based career.

“It’s more of a hobby for me,” he said.

Dane Clark described his son as “beyond smart,” and Norris has the card to prove it. He is a member of Mensa Canada, which is part of Mensa International, the largest high IQ (intelligence quotient) society in the world.

Norris has five favourite flags, three of which are of countries which no longer exist. They are Bhutan, the ancient Chinese King Dynasty, Nepal, the former Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria, and the former Republic of Venice. Norris also likes flags with unique shapes or uncommon colours such as purple.

“It’s only on Dominica and Nicaragua,” he said.

There are no significant prizes awarded at the competitions Norris has been part of. Recognition usually comes in the form of a medal and certificate.

“I really just love learning about the world around us,” Norris said.

As a result of his love of Geography, Norris enjoys planning trips. He has frequently signed out an atlas from the Champlain Library and reads many books. He also closely follows YouTube channels Map Men and Geography now. And, unsurprisingly, his favourite subject in school is Social Studies, which includes Geography.

Due to the distance and cost associated with traveling to Geography competitions in far away places, Dane Clark said fundraising is quite likely in the future as Norris continues to succeed and advance. One possibility for fundraising is Norris is interested in drawing maps and flags to sell.