UK Hosts 9th Annual Regional Spelling Bee
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 17, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Scripps Howard First Amendment Center in the School of Journalism and Media, along with the College of Arts and Sciences, will host the ninth annual UK Regional Spelling Bee. The bee will begin 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, in the UK Gatton Student Center's Worsham Cinema.
The Regional Spelling Bee will host 41 participants from across Kentucky, ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade. The champion will receive an all-expense paid trip to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., as Kentucky’s representative.
UK’s Spelling Bee is currently the only opportunity for Kentucky students in elementary and middle school to participate in a spelling competition.
“Our constituency serves 81 counties and 418 schools. That’s 418 opportunities to emphasize a love for literacy and a love for spelling within Kentucky’s students,” said John Cruz, School of Journalism and Media project manager.
Cruz also hopes that this Spelling Bee will spark a passion for UK among the young participants.
“We’re hoping that students will utilize this weekend as a way to engage with other opportunities on campus, so they feel closer to the university when they begin to consider colleges,” Cruz said.
For more information, visit https://ci.uky.edu/jam/uk-regional-spelling-bee.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.