State Spelling Bee Buzzes at University Theatre Saturday

The best spellers in Arkansas will compete in a state championship Saturday, March 22, at UALR’s University Theatre. The Arkansas State Spelling Bee, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, will host 63 county spelling bee winners competing for the ultimate title and an all-expense paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May.

 The first round of competition for students in third through eighth grades begins at 9 a.m. with registration beginning at 8 a.m. The event is open to the public. Dr. Jonathan Glenn, assistant provost and professor of English at the University of Central Arkansas, will be the spelling bee pronouncer. Judges will be Dr. Jo Chesser, an assistant adjunct professor at UALR, and Debbie Crownover, records retention specialist for the Pulaski County Special School District. Jeanne Rollberg, associate professor of journalism in the School of Mass Communications at UALR, will be the adjudicator.