Nonprofit leader takes over as National Spelling Bee chief
FILE - In this May 28, 2019 file photo, the Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy sits in front of competitors in Oxon Hill, Md. Breaking from a tradition of being led by former contestants, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has hired a nonprofit leader with no history in the competition as its executive director, signaling a new era for the nearly century-old showcase for the top spellers in the English language. Cincinnati-based Scripps announced Monday, March 1, 2021, that J. Michael Durnil will take over immediately as bee director. Cincinnati-based Scripps announced Monday that J. Michael Durnil will take over immediately as bee director. The bee has strong minority participation, but one minority in particular โ Indian-Americans โ has dominated the competition for the past two decades.
National Spelling Bee to return in mostly virtual format
Students fill the stage during the second round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center May 28, 2019 in National Harbor, Maryland. Students from across the country and around the world compete in the spelling competition, which started in 1925. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)The Scripps National Spelling Bee will return this year in a mostly virtual format, with the in-person competition limited to a dozen finalists who will gather on an ESPN campus at Walt Disney World in Florida, Scripps announced Monday. Instead of compressing the entire competition into a week โ spellers routinely refer to Bee Week as a highlight of their young lives โ the bee will be stretched over several weeks. Virtual format notwithstanding, the bee will return to its roots as a purely oral spelling competition.