Scripps Regional Spelling Bee Comes to San Francisco

Market Wire, March, 2006

The San Francisco Chronicle announced today that the Northern California Regional Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held in San Francisco on March 18. The winner will represent Northern California at the 79th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in late May.

KCBS-AM morning co-anchor Stan Bunger is the spelling bee's pronouncer for the fourth consecutive year. For the fourteenth year, Dr. Patricia Mitchell, chair of the Organization and Leadership Department in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco, is the spelling bee's head judge.

"The students studied extensively to get to this round," said Elizabeth Coleman, administrator of The San Francisco Chronicle in Education Program. The Chronicle is one of the event's sponsors. "All the students have won their school bee and a preliminary round to get to this stage; they are all champions," Coleman added.

In late 2005, public, private and home schools in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties were invited to participate in the 2006 Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. Nearly 200 school champions competed in the written round at UC Berkeley's Le Conte Hall on February 25, 2006. The top 50 spellers of the written round will compete at San Francisco's Theatre 39 at Pier 39 on March 18.

The event is not open to the public. For more information on the Northern California Regional Round contact Elizabeth Coleman at 415-777-6797. For more information on the Scripps National Spelling Bee visit www.spellingbee.com .

The San Francisco Chronicle is the Bay Area's leading news and information source and has been connecting the region with its award winning journalism since its founding in 1865. Combined with its online partner, SFGate.com, The San Francisco Chronicle reaches 1.5 million Bay Area residents daily and 1.7 million on Sunday. The six-time Pulitzer Prize-winning Chronicle is the nation's 10th largest daily newspaper and SFGate.com is the nation's fourth largest newspaper website with 5.3 million monthly unique visitors and over 64 million monthly page views.

PRESS CONTACT: Elizabeth Coleman 415-777-6797