14th Annual Upstate Spelling Bee on Feb. 17th

More than eighty students from Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties will take to the stage at the University of South Carolina Upstate on Saturday, Feb. 17th, to vie for the title of Regional Spelling Bee Champion.

It will serve as an opportunity to represent Upstate South Carolina in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May.

Students in grades 3-8 from the three counties’ public, private and home-school environments will have to opportunity to showcase their spelling skills. The students will compete by grade level to spell words such as benevolent, incredulous, subterfuge, soliloquy, and facetious.

“The USC Upstate Regional Spelling Bee will be held in two rounds,” said Kim Land, organizer of the USC Upstate Regional Spelling Bee and instructor of marketing at USC Upstate. “All participants will compete by grade level in the first round to narrow the field down to around 18 spellers. Spellers who are not eliminated in the first round will compete in the final round to determine the Regional Winner. All school winners will be recognized during an awards ceremony between the two rounds of competition.”

The event will be held from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Sansbury Campus Life Center. Final Round will begin around 10:30 a.m. with an awards ceremony recognizing all school winners to follow.

“USC Upstate is honored to host the Spelling Bee and to bring students of this caliber to our campus,” said Chancellor Brendan Kelly. “In addition to improving students’ spelling skills and increasing vocabularies, the USC Upstate Regional Spelling Bee provides valuable experience in helping students develop poise and composure, traits that are necessary for success in public speaking, performing arts and athletics.”

For more information, contact Kim Land, organizer of the USC Upstate Regional Spelling Bee and instructor of marketing at USC Upstate, at 864-503-7354 or [email protected].