Secaucus Middle Schooler In Scripps National Spelling Bee

SECAUCUS, NJ — Hey, she grew up learning how to correctly spell "S-e-c-a-u-c-u-s," so she must be smart! The 92nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is nearly here and a 13-year-old student at Secaucus Middle School will be competing!

Saloni Singh, 13, from Secaucus, earned a coveted spot to compete in the nationally televised spelling bee, which will be broadcast live on ESPN next Thursday, May 30.

This local young lady from the Meadowlands will be competing against 560 children from all 50 states, all vying for a shot at becoming the nation’s preeminent speller.

Singh is in the 8th grade at Secaucus Middle School.

"Saloni has won our school-level spelling bee for three years in a row," said Christine Candela, the principal at Secaucus Middle School. "This year she was the runner-up for the Hudson County Spelling Bee and has been granted a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee through the RSVBee program (a program started by Scripps to get more competitors into the spelling bee)."

Saloni's bio on the Scripps website says she is interested in the areas of immunology and nutritional genomics as possible career fields, and every summer she volunteers at a free clinic for juvenile diabetics in India, working with young children.

“In my career as an educator, I have come across few students as respectful, talented and motivated as Saloni," said Candela, the Secaucus middle school principal. "She is the type of student who will go above and beyond what is being asked of her. We are very proud of her and we wish her the best of luck!”

The spelling bee works like this: First, there are preliminary multiple-choice tests given on Monday, May 27. Whichever students pass those will advance to onstage spelling competitions held all day the following Tuesday and Wednesday.

The finalists then take the stage Thursday, May 30. No more than 50 spellers will advance to the finals Thursday.

Singh is speller No. 265. So we have to see if she makes it through the finals next week. You can see all the contestants from New Jersey here: http://spellingbee.com/meet-the-spellers (search by state) There are 16 students total competing from New Jersey.

Interested viewers can begin watching the final rounds 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.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.