Disputed Spelling Bee To Hold Spell-Off To Add Second Student

DANBURY, Conn. -- A second student will join Danbury's Anika Malayappan at the finals of the National Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., after an "irregular" local bee last month, according to a report from the News Times.

The dispute over "irregularities" at the local spelling bee, held at Western Connecticut State University, has led to a spell-off.
Photo Credit: *File Photo*

by Nathan Bruttell

04/07/2014 4:00 a.m.

Hearst Connecticut Media will host a spell-off on April 12 in Bridgeport, with the winner heading to nationals. Hearst officials announced that the second student would join Malayappan after acknowledging "an irregularity in the order of words given to students in the final spell-off rounds," Hearst officials said according to the News Times report.

Parents complained during the Danbury spelling bee after the mispronunciation of some of the words from officials when the bee ran out of words from a Scripps list, according to the News Times.

Ridgefield's Noah Fitzgerald, the second-place finisher in the local bee, is scheduled to compete against the third, fourth and fifth place finishers in the April 12 spell off, according to the News Times.

Click here to read the story from The News Times.

Click here to follow Daily Voice Danbury and receive free news updates.