Scripps National Spelling Bee: The New Milford Contestants

NEW MILFORD, NJ — The 92nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is nearly here and one New Milford whiz-kid plans to compete this year. More than 560 children from all 50 states will vie for a shot at becoming the nation’s preeminent speller.

Preliminary multiple-choice tests will be held Monday, May 27. Onstage spelling competitions will be held all day the following Tuesday and Wednesday, with finalists competing Thursday, May 30. No more than 50 spellers will advance to the finals Thursday.

Interested viewers can watch every word Wednesday on the Watch ESPN app. On Thursday, finalists will begin spelling on stage at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and this part of the competition will air live on ESPN 2. After the field is narrowed down to roughly a dozen finalists, ESPN will air the spelling bee finals live Thursday night.

The event will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The champion will receive a $50,000 prize.

Here are the contestants from New Milford:

• Jeremiah Markose
  • Age: 10
  • Grade: Fourth
  • Speller number: 287
  • Town: New Milford
  • School: Berkley Street Elementary School

Markose enjoys the rush of adrenaline he experiences when competing in spelling bees and the life lessons he has learned while competing, his profile on the Scripps National Spelling Bee website states.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com