Here I am doing an interview with Scripps Newsy.

What exactly are we doing with G-Wiz and Slapshot? You’ll have to watch the Bee Finals on Thursday night to find out!

Spellers getting ready to take the written preliminary test.

This morning, all 285 spellers sat for the preliminary written exam; this is Round 1 of the Bee. There were 12 spelling words worth one point each and 12 vocabulary words also worth one point each. There were an additional two vocabulary words worth 3 points each – one of these words came from a study list provided by the Bee while the other one came from the dictionary. The total number of points that can be accrued in Round 1 is 30.

The onstage rounds start tomorrow morning; each of the words in Round 2 and Round 3 is worth 3 points each. Of course, if a speller misses onstage, he/she is eliminated from the competition. Up to fifty spellers with the most number of points after Round 3 move on to the Finals which are on Thursday morning and evening. Finalists will be announced after Round 3 tomorrow afternoon!

This evening, all the spellers will be treated to a viewing of the top five videos of the Spellebrity Video Contest. The videos were created by some talented young filmmakers with the theme of encouraging kids to read more.

Addendum: If you would like to test your spelling and vocabulary skills, take the test!