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Last updated on Wednesday, February 24, 2016
(PAOLI) - A field of 23 competitors will take the stage at Ruth Farlow Uyesugi Auditorium at Paoli Junior-Senior High School Saturday, February 27 at 2 p.m. for the Orange County Publishing Company’s Great Spelling Bee.
There, the students from the six county schools, ranging in grade level from eighth all the way down to second in one case, will put their spelling skills on the line for the countywide title and also the opportunity to represent Orange County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.
Those representing area schools are:
Miles Flynn of the Orange County Publishing Company will read the words for the event, and judges will be Robert Henderson, Todd Marshall and Martha Nice.
Students will be welcomed by Paoli Junior High School Principal Wes Whitfield, and last year's champion, Matthew Ross of Orleans, will share some remarks and advice before the rules are reviewed and the competition gets underway.
Spellers will be given a word, which they will have to spell orally. They may ask for the word to be used in a sentence or for its definition, origin, part of speech, etc. The spelling will continue in rounds until a champion has been determined.
"Then our champion will have several weeks to study for the Scripps National Spelling Bee," Flynn said. "That event will get started with preliminaries on May 24 and 25. The finals will be May 26."
Cost of transportation, lodging, meals and other incidentals for the speller and one parent or guardian will be covered for the six-day, five-night trip.
"Again, we thank our generous funding partners for making this opportunity available to our local students," Flynn commented. "The Orange County Community Foundation, Orange County REMC Operation Round Up, Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation, Mid-Southern Savings Bank, Old National Bank and Springs Valley Bank & Trust Company have really stepped up and are demonstrating one heck of a commitment to Orange County and its young people."
Besides the competition, participants will also get to take part in a welcome event, a trip to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, a tour of Mount Vernon or the Lincoln Experience, the awards banquet and farewell party plus some free time for sightseeing.
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