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Contact: Shawn Dudley |
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Media Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Edina sixth-grader wins Metro Area Regional Spelling Bee Edina, Minn., March 17, 2009 – An Edina Public Schools student was champion of the Metro Area Regional Spelling Bee after correctly spelling words such as “pfeffernuss” and “gastralgia.” Anja Beth Swoap, a Valley View Middle School sixth-grader, was one of 43 students, ages 9 to 14, in the competition. The former Normandale Elementary School student had to spell her way through words she had never heard before, until she won in the 18th round. Swoap, 12, beamed after judges announced she had correctly spelled her final word, and cheering friends swarmed around her on stage. The March 14 spelling bee was held at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. It was sponsored by the Minneapolis law firm of Lockridge Grindal Nauen. Swoap will travel to Washington D.C. for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May along with four other Minnesota students who won their regional competitions. The Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational promotion administered on a not-for-profit basis. Their purpose is to “help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives,” according to their Web site. For more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, visit http://www.spellingbee.com/index.asp. ###  |
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