Dr. Cathleen Webb, head of WKU’s Chemistry Department, mother of two and AARP member, is preparing to compete in her second AARP National Spelling Bee.
The competition will be held June 20 in Cheyenne, Wyo. Dr. Webb and her family will leave Bowling Green for Wyoming on Monday (June 15).
AARP sponsors the only national spelling bee for adults 50-plus. Spellers from across the country compete for more than $1,000 in gifts and prizes. The winner of the Bee will appear on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition on June 21.
Dr. Webb competed in the 2008 AARP National Spelling Bee and her goal this year is to advance past the competition’s second round. “I’d been coaching my daughter for spelling bees for years and on a whim Googled for adult spelling bees and found AARP’s. The competition is serious, but great fun and element names are my favorites,” she said.
Her training has included studying sample word lists as often as her schedule allows.
AARP Kentucky state director Phil Peters said: “We are excited for the whole Webb family and are cheering Dr. Webb on in the 2009 competition. This event is really a celebration of lifelong learning and we’re proud to have Kentucky so well represented.”
The AARP National Spelling Bee consists of two rounds of competition, beginning with a 100-word written competition in the morning, narrowing the field to the top 15 spellers who go on to compete in the oral spelling rounds. Spellers are allowed to miss three words in the oral rounds before being knocked out of the competition.
Contact: Scott Wegenast, Associate State Director – Communications,AARP Kentucky State Office, at (502) 394-3425 or swegenast@aarp.org
