Thirty-four students from around the region will compete Tuesday to participate in the 100th Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington in May.
The regional spelling bee is co-sponsored by The Daily Item and Joel and Mary Abramson, and will take place at the Lynn Auditorium at 5 p.m. It is open to the public.
“I think it is important, both as a community and a country, and with all the talk about artificial intelligence, to remember what separates one kid from another, one adult from another, are their communication skills,” said Joel Abramson, who was Lynn’s EMG Person of the Year for 2024.
“These are the kids we should be most proud of,” he said. “They are the foundation for the growth of our society. They take the time to read and learn for themselves. These are the kids who deserve all the accolades.”
Tuesday’s students/contestants range in age from third grade through eighth. They battled through their school spelling bees to become their school’s champion. Those students then went on to take a challenging online qualifying test to earn a place at the 39th Annual Daily Item Regional Spelling Bee.
The Item’s Susan Conti coordinates the program. Judges include Item contributor and former editor Steve Krause, 2022 Regional Spelling Bee winner Saketh Madhusudhan, and Item reporter Amanda Lurey.
Walter Stone, North Shore Community College’s dean of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) will once again be the pronouncer.
Abramson and his wife have been involved with the spelling bee for more than a decade, he said.
“At one time, before the pandemic, we had over 100 schools participating,” he said, adding that the COVID-19 shutdown of 2020 hit the program hard.
“Now it’s back up to about 90,” he said.
The Abramsons fund the event, including all the rewards. All students will be served a light dinner and snack and receive congratulatory gift bags from The Item. They will also be welcomed by Lynn Mayor Jared C. Nicholson.
The winner of Tuesday’s competition will receive a $100 Amazon gift card, round-trip airfare to Washington, D.C., weeklong hotel accommodations at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center and spending money for the winner and chaperone, all paid for by the Abramsons.
“This has been a good marriage between us and The Item,” Abramson said. “It’s very rewarding for us and the kids, I think. When we get down to the final five, there’s likely going to be a third-grader and an eighth-grader together. Those kids get very close.
“The drama is palpable,” he said. “There’s a real bond that develops.”
