Press Release

Andrew Wallace, 14, beat out 35 competitors on Saturday, March 25 for the right to represent Philadelphia at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.

Prevailing over top spellers from Philadelphia public, private, parochial, charter and home schools, the 8th grader from Andrew Hamilton School and an adult escort will advance to the 79th Annual Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee, held in Washington D.C. from May 31 to June 1.

This is the fifth year that Independence Blue Cross (IBC) has helped fund the regional leg of the nation's largest and longest-running educational promotion in conjunction with The Philadelphia Tribune. Gail Chavis, IBC director cash and financial control, served as one of the Spelling Bee judges.

"I've been spelling most of my life," said Spelling Bee winner Wallace. "It was hard in the beginning (of the competition), but once I got past the pressure, it was easy."

"He was very confident that he would win," said Edith Wallace, Wallace's grandmother. "He has always been a good speller and a good reader."

The Citywide Bee was comprised of the top five finalists from the "Fifth Grade Spelldown" held earlier on Saturday at the School District of Philadelphia, as well as the top classroom spellers in grades six through eight. The Spelldown winners were Donald Haslam, III from Thomas Creighton School; Shannon Malcolm from Holy Spirit School; Katelyn McGill from Saint Matthew School; Rickey Nixon from Richmond Elementary School, and Elias Woodard from Mathematics, Civics and Science Charter School.

In addition to underwriting the expenses for the regional champion and an escort to attend the national competition, IBC and The Philadelphia Tribune are picking up the expenses associated with the regional spelling bee and have provided prizes to the regional winner and runner-up as well as gifts to the coordinators of the participating schools.

Andrew Wallace was awarded a personal computer and printer; a Samuel Louis Sugarman Award of a $100 savings bond; a Merriam-Webster dictionary; and $20 Amazon.com gift certificate from The Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The runner-up, Charles Gress from Saint Matthew School, was presented with a computer, printer, and $20 Amazon.com gift certificate.

The top spellers from each school that competed in the Citywide Bee received a backpack with logos of IBC, the Philadelphia Tribune and the Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee. The runners-up from each school received a lunch bag with the logos of the three entities and the coordinators who helped organize the regional spelling bee received a tote bag with the logos.

The national event began in 1925 with nine contestants and has been held annually except from 1943-1945 during World War II.  The purpose of the bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.

Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.4 million people. For more than 65 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered quality health care products and services tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, groups and providers.

Independence Blue Cross recently received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its HMO and PPO health care plans. In addition, in 2005, Independence Blue Cross's Personal Choice was rated the No. 1 PPO in the nation and its Keystone HMO was ranked the No. 1 HMO in the region by health care consumers in a leading independent consumer magazine.

The Philadelphia Tribune is the nation's oldest newspaper serving the African American community.

Since 1941, the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee has been coordinated by the E.W. Scripps Company, a diversified media concern with interests in newspapers, broadcast television stations, cable television networks and other media-related enterprises.