The Palm Beach Daily News
February 24, 2020
Winner of school bee makes top-level finals for third year in row
Rosarian Academy’s school-level competition of the 2020 National Spelling Bee was held recently and after 19 rounds of competition, seventh-grader Emma Chopin won with the championship word “oniomania,” defined as an obsessive or compulsive urge to buy things.
Mark Albury, a sixth grade student, was the runner-up.
This is the third consecutive year that Emma has been a school-level finalist. Last year, Chopin was one of 21 participants who made it to the final round of the Regional Bee.
She was then able to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee via acceptance into the RSVBee program — a special, invitational program created by Scripps to provide an opportunity for more spellers to participate in the National Finals. Chopin was one of three students in Palm Beach County to compete. She successfully made it through two rounds. The first round was a written test. In round two, every participant had the opportunity to spell one word on stage.
Chopin’s word was “blunderbuss,” which she spelled correctly.
Both Chopin and Albury will represent Rosarian Academy at the Final Regional Southeastern Florida Scripps Spelling Bee on March 10 at Boca Prep International School.
