After Memorial Day, exceptional spellers across the country will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., including Kyu Alegre, the Carrollton Junior High School seventh grader who captured the title of State Spelling Bee Champion for Georgia in March.

Kyu, officially known as Speller No. 151, will begin competition along with another 518 spellers Tuesday morning. The first round will be a written test, followed later that morning with Round Two. Round Three will be Wednesday. Both of these rounds will last all day, but Kyu’s appearance will be televised on Tuesday from 10:45 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. and on Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.. Both of these rounds will be televised on ESPN 3.

Finals will be televised May 31 on ESPN 2 in two parts: The first will air 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Part Two will air 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Only the remaining 50 spellers will qualify for the finals. The pool of spellers includes state champions, such as Kyu, or spelling champions whose applications for participation in the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s self-sponsorship and invitational programs have received final approval by the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The invitational program provides opportunities for 250 spelling champions through a lottery system.

The last state spelling champion Carrollton City Schools can claim for fame was almost 25 years ago when 1998 CHS graduate Alex Waters brought home the trophy and qualified for the national bee.

Fae Kelley, who officiated the Carrollton City Schools bee in February, earlier this week said Kyu’s mother, Fanella True, asks that local spelling bee fans wear red, Kyu’s lucky color, to support him in competition.

(above)

Kyu is pictured above with his support team at the state spelling bee in Plains: His parents, Jere and Fanella True, Carrollton City Schools teachers, from left, Leigh Crews, Shannon Mancil and Cindy Lamb, and spelling mentor and local bee officiator, Fae Kelley, standing in the back. Per his request, they all wore red to support him – and it worked (along with his incredible ability to spell, of course).