PARSIPPANY — On Wednesday, March 27, Albin Mullan, eighth grader at Central Middle School in Parsippany, received the exciting news he was anxiously awaiting….an invitation to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee!
Albin recently won Central Middle School’s school wide spelling bee on February 26 and now has the honor and distinction of being able to participate in the nationwide competition. This competition was started 92 years ago and, according to Scripps, it was designed to “help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.” Currently, with the help of his English teacher and coach, Mrs. Joanne Hirsch, Albin is preparing for this challenging experience by assiduously studying Greek and Latin roots, foreign vocabulary and obscure English words.
The competition is held over five days, May 26-30 in National Harbor, Maryland. On Monday, May 26, all contestants will take a spelling/vocabulary test. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the top scorers will then go on to Round 2 and 3 on stage spelling competitions. No more than 50 students will advance to the finals. On Thursday, May 30, the Primetime Finals will begin and on Friday, May 31, the awards banquet will be held. The top prize for the champion is a $50,000 cash prize and a Scripps National Spelling Bee engraved trophy. Other substantial cash prizes are awarded to finalists in 2nd to th place.
This is a very highly prestigious and distinguished competition and a very costly one at that. The initial enrollment fee is $1500. In addition, contestants are required to stay six nights at the Gaylord National Resort which costs almost $2,000 and the student and his family are also responsible for all transportation costs and meals.
Let’s all root for Albin! Congratulations and Good Luck!!
