Local student competes at National Spelling Bee

Local News

Spelling Bee 2010

SPELLING BEE 2010

Local Speller: Alyssa M. Szczypien
Age: 12
Grade: Seventh
School: Peru Middle School
Sponsor: Press-Republican

Profile: Alyssa has been an active member of the Girl Scouts for six years and enjoys assisting the community through her Girl Scout projects. She has been playing team sports since she was six years old and was a member of the modified volleyball and swimming teams at her school. Alyssa also has participated in school musicals, and is in the school chorus. She has a five-year-old cat named Annaliese that she absolutely adores. Alyssa loves reading fiction and enjoys sketching people. She would like to pursue an artistic career.

BEE '10

Wednesday, June 2
All 273 spellers take the Round One test at pre-assigned times. In the Round One test, spellers will spell 50 words using a computer keyboard. Only 25 of the 50 spellings will count toward each speller's Preliminaries score.

Thursday, June 3
All 273 spellers participate in Rounds Two and Three onstage between 8:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Eastern.
For each correct spelling offered by a speller in Rounds Two and Three, the speller earns three points that count toward his Preliminaries score. It is possible for a speller to earn up to 31 points in the Preliminaries: 25 points on the Round One test plus 3 points for a correct spelling in Round Two plus 3 points for a correct spelling in Round Three.
Immediately after the conclusion of Round Three, Bee officials determine Semifinalists on the basis of points earned in the Preliminaries. No more than 50 spellers will be named Semifinalists.

Friday, June 4
Semifinalists compete onstage between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern. In general, a speller is out of the competition once he misspells.
Championship Finalists compete onstage beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. In general, a speller is out of the competition once he misspells

Related Photos

Alyssa Szczypien Photo Provided

Discussion

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June 4, 2010

By STEPHEN BARTLETT Staff Writer The Press Republican Fri Jun 04, 2010, 06:04 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — Peru Central School student Alyssa Szczypien started the Scripps National Spelling Bee on a computer in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, spelling 50 words in an attempt to earn as many points as she could.

On Thursday she hit the stage for Round 2, and judges asked her to spell "philippic," which she spelled "filippic." But she found redemption during Round 3, correctly spelling the word "apotheosis."

Unfortunately, the points she accrued didn't earn her a spot in today's semifinals, though the seventh-grader was awarded an experience that will likely last her a lifetime.

Szczypien earned a spot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee by placing first among 118 students from 13 districts at the Champlain Valley Educational Services Regional Spelling Bee, held at Plattsburgh High School this past February.

The Press-Republican co-sponsors the Champlain Valley Educational Services Regional Spelling Bee with a group called North Country Parents for a National Spelling Bee.

Szczypien, who is active in Girl Scouts, athletics, musicals and chorus, is the third area student whose trip the Scripps National Bee the Press-Republican has sponsored.

All 273 spellers took the Round 1 test Wednesday at pre-assigned times, spelling 50 words using a computer keyboard. Only 25 of those words — chosen randomly — count toward each competitor's individual scores.

All spellers also participated in Rounds 2 and 3 onstage Thursday. They earn three points toward preliminary scores for each word spelled correctly.

At the conclusion of Round 3, officials determined semifinalists on the basis of points.

No more than 50 spellers are named to the semifinals, which begin onstage at 10 a.m. today.

Championship finalists compete onstage beginning at 8 tonight.

E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com