RI Student Makes It To Scripps National Spelling Bee: When To Watch

RHODE ISLAND — One student from Rhode Island is among 231 nationwide who qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, an end-of-the-school-year tradition for nearly a century.

Penelope Sargeant, 14, of Providence, will represent Rhode Island in the 95th Annual Scripps Spelling Bee May 30-June 1. Sargeant is an eighth grade student at the Saint Margaret School in East Providence.

She enjoys fantasy books and likes to draw in her spare time. Sargeant has been a Girl Scout for six years and enjoys trying new activities with her friends.

She is also a part of her school's drama club and mock trial team. She would love to have a future career involving horses, possibly large animal veterinary science.

The spellers, announced Thursday, made it to the national competition after advancing in regional spelling bees.

They represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense schools in Europe, as well as three countries outside the United States — the Bahamas, Canada and Ghana.

Last year, winner Harini Logan, 14 at the time, made history by being the first speller to win the bee — and a trophy and $50,000 check — via a 90-second spell-off added last year to illustrate the extent to which spellers prepare for the event.

The San Antonio, Texas, teen spelled 21 of 26 words correctly in the allotted time, while her opponent got 15 of 19 words right. To win the bee, she correctly spelled “moorhen,” a female red grouse.

Cash prizes and gift cards range from $100 for quarterfinalists, $500 for semifinalists and prizes ranging from $2,000 to $25,000 for runners-up and $50,000 for the spelling bee champion.

All rounds of the competition for the Scripps Cup will be broadcast on ION platforms. Here’s the schedule:

• Preliminaries: May 30, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. EDT
• Quarterfinals: May 31, 8 a.m.-1 p.m EDT
• Semifinals: May 31, 8-10 p.m. EDT
• Finals: June 1, 8-10 p.m. EDT

There’s much more to Bee Week for spellers and their families than the televised portions of the event, held in Maryland at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, including educational workshops, excursions into Washington, D.C., and other events.

Have you got a news tip? Please send it to jimmy.bentley@patch.com.