Broken Arrow School sixth-grader Stefan Petrovic has broken through to the finals of the 2010 National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C., school officials said Tuesday afternoon.

Stefan, 12, is representing Kansas after winning the state bee in April. His teacher, Mary Van Dyke, is also at the bee.

Julie Boyle, a Lawrence school district spokeswoman, said Stefan has qualified for the top 10 along with students representing Florida, Utah, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Virginia, Georgia, Idaho, West Virginia and Rhode Island.

“It was quite intense and extraordinarily exciting,” said Stefan’s dad, Uros Petrovic in a voice message.

You can watch Stefan in action Wednesday. The final round of the bee, hosted by Alex Trebek, will be televised at 5 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel, Sunflower Broadband Channel 83.

The champion will receive a $25,000 college scholarship as well as an all-expense-paid trip to the Galapagos Islands.