Local student competes in 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 M. Szczypien

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May 30, 2010

By STEPHEN BARTLETT Staff Writer The Press Republican Thu Jun 03, 2010, 08:14 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — A Peru Middle School student is heading to the nation's capital to compete in the Scripps National Bee.

Alyssa Szczypien is third area student the Press-Republican has sponsored for the event, which begins Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

The Scripps National Bee is the nation's largest and longest-running education promotion, administered on a nonprofit basis by the E.W. Scripps Co. and local sponsors.

The purpose is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.

Szczypien, who is active in Girl Scouts, athletics, musicals and chorus, placed first among 118 students from 13 districts at the Champlain Valley Educational Services Regional Spelling Bee, held at Plattsburgh High School in late February.

In Washington, all 273 spellers compete in Round 1 Wednesday by spelling 50 words using a computer keyboard.

Next, everyone participates in Rounds 2 and 3 on stage throughout the day Wednesday. Bee officials will select no more than 50 semifinalists on the basis of points earned in the preliminaries.

Semifinalists compete Friday on stage between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., while the championship is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

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

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