Schools
Scripps National Spelling Bee: Chester Co. Student Competing
The 92nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is nearly here. The whiz-kids from Pennsylvania include a local student.
The 92nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is nearly here and 14 Pennsylvania whiz kids plan to compete this year, including an Elkins Park girl. More than 560 children from all 50 states will vie for a shot at becoming the nation’s preeminent speller.
Chester County's Jordi De Jong, 14, is an eighth grader at Villa Maria Academy Lower School. A Malvern resident, Jordi is sponsored by Chester County Intermediate Unit. She is speller number 361.
Preliminary multiple-choice tests will be held Monday, May 27. Onstage spelling competitions will be held all day the following Tuesday and Wednesday, with finalists competing Thursday, May 30. No more than 50 spellers will advance to the finals Thursday.
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In the 2018 competition, Jordi finished tied for 323rd place.
Interested viewers can watch every word Wednesday on the Watch ESPN app. On Thursday, finalists will begin spelling on stage at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and this part of the competition will air live on ESPN 2. After the field is narrowed down to roughly a dozen finalists, ESPN will air the spelling bee finals live Thursday night.
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The event will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The champion will receive a $50,000 prize.
Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.
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