Fair Oaks Ranch Student Wins State Title in Fourth Annual AAA Travel High School Challenge

HOUSTON - April 19, 2006: A 12th grader of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, won the state title in the fourth annual AAA Travel High School Challenge. Francis Norman, who attends the Texas Military Institute, matched his travel geography wits against students from across the Lone Star State to take home the title.

Francis now heads to Orlando, Florida, this May to compete in the national finals for a chance at the national title, a $25,000 college scholarship and additional prizes.

"With surveys showing American teens trailing their international counterparts in geographic literacy, it's great to see students like Francis excelling in travel and geographic competitions," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "Francis will compete with some of the nation's brightest students during the national finals in Orlando."

The AAA Travel High School Challenge aims to increase teens' travel knowledge and geographic literacy while creating awareness of career opportunities in the travel and tourism industries.

With more than 50,000 9th - 12th grade students registered across the country for the online portion of the competition, Francis placed among the top five scorers in Texas. Then Francis scored the highest on a 40-question written, proctored exam taken by the five state finalists. The state exams challenged students' knowledge of U.S. and world geography, with an emphasis on travel and tourist destinations.

The finals will be held May 13, 2006th - 16th, 2006 at Universal Orlando and will begin with a written elimination exam, followed by a series of round-robin, game show-style playoffs to determine national team champions. Then, for the first time in the event's history, the competition will move to an elimination round to select one overall national champion, who will receive a $25,000 college scholarship. Second and third place winners will receive $15,000 and $10,000 scholarships, respectively.

The AAA Travel High School Challenge, designed by AAA Travel and travel industry educator Dr. Marc Mancini, will award more than $100,000 total in scholarships and prizes. Sponsors include: Continental Airlines, Holland America Line, Marriott, MBNA, Pleasant Holidays, Hard Rock Live and Universal Orlando.

AAA Texas, an affiliate of AAA National, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' web site at www.aaa.com.