By JEREMY FRANCIS,Freeport News Reporter

FREEPORT — The Isle of Capri Casino on Wednesday donated $2,500 to the Bahamas National Spelling Bee to cover the expenses of one of the top finalists who will be accompanying national spelling champion Chelsey Bipat to Washington, D.C. for the 78th annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee from May 31 to June 2.

Bipat, a 7th grader at Kingsway Academy who had fallen short in two previous attempts, outspelled 17 other contestants in 21 rounds of gruelling competition to win the national title.

S.C. Bootle High School's Edrico Ambrister was first runner-up, and two students — Denaire Pickstock of Thelma Gibson Primary and Alieth Adderley of Long Island's Mangrove Bush Primary — finished tied for third. All three of them will accompany the champion to Washington when they depart Nassau on Sunday, May 29. The Isle of Capri donation was earmarked to cover one of their expenses.

Freeport News Editor and General Manager Oswald T. Brown, a member of the Bahamas National Spelling Bee Committee, acepted the cheque on behalf of the committee.

"I'm very pleased for the participants of the Spelling Bee, and I hope that their trip to Washington is going to be a fruitful experience," said Isle of Capri Casino Vice-president and General Manager Eddie Llambias. "I'm very happy to contribute. The Spelling Bee is a testament to the promotion of education and wellbeing for the young children of communities."

Isle of Capri Training and Employee Relations Manager Marcia Sands added that the casino is indeed serious about uplifting and encouraging our country's youth.

"As training manager, I want to be able to sit back one day and say, 'Hey, this is something that I've been a part of; this is something that I've been able to cultivate and nurture,'" she said. "And the Isle of Capri is about cultivating and nurturing."

Mr Llambias said that the casino will be contributing to the "worthwhile cause" on an annual basis.

The Scipps Howard National Spelling Bee is the largest and longest-running educational promotion in the United States, administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company and 243 newspaper sponsors in the United States, Europe, Guam, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, and American Samoa.

Sponsorship is available to daily and weekly newspapers serving English-speaking populations around the world. The Bahamas National Spelling Bee is sponsored by The Nassau Guardian and IBM Bahamas Limited, in conjunction with a number of corporate associate sponsors.