12-Year-Old Matthew Evans Wins Top Prize in Reader's Digest National Word
Power Challenge(SM)
Hannah Brown Of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Wins Second Prize; Camille
Guillot of Mandeville, Louisiana, Wins Third
ORLANDO, Fla., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew Evans, a seventh-grader
from Albuquerque, New Mexico, took the top prize today in the fifth annual
Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge, America's premier vocabulary
competition. The 12-year-old student, who is home schooled, was crowned
Word Power Champion by quizmaster Al Roker of NBC's Today Show, who hosted
the National Championship at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld and
Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. A television special based on the
national event airs on NBC stations this summer.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070515/NYTU193 )
"The best word to describe this champion's command of the English
language is staggering," said Kathleen Bordelon, executive director of the
Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge.
Hegira proved to be the magic word for Matthew, who chose the correct
definition of the word - (a journey to a better place) - to win the
national title and a $25,000 college scholarship from Reader's Digest. In
contrast to a spelling bee that quizzes students on the spelling of words,
the National Word Power Challenge tests students' understanding of what
words mean.
Hannah Brown, a seventh-grader from Spartanburg, South Carolina, won
second prize and a $15,000 college scholarship. Camille Guillot, an eighth-
grader from Mandeville, Louisiana, won a $10,000 third place scholarship.
"As a broadcast journalist I know how important a good vocabulary is to
success and these young students are already well ahead of the game when it
comes to word power," said Al Roker.
More than two million students participated in this year's Challenge,
which kicked off with preliminary school-administered tests in thousands of
schools last fall. This March, the top sixth through eighth graders from
every state, the Virgin Islands and the Department of Defense Dependents
Schools participated in state championships nationwide. The 52 winners of
those events won an all-expense-paid trip with their teacher escorts to the
National Championship in Orlando. A preliminary round on May 14 narrowed
the field to ten finalists who competed in today's championship round.
Matthew's favorite word is bewussteinslage (state of awareness). He
spends an average of eight hours reading every week and began reading at
the age of three. He counts Watership Down by Richard Adams as his favorite
book.
The National Word Power Challenge is a natural extension of Reader's
Digest Magazine, which has been enriching America's vocabulary for more
than sixty years. Now in its fifth year celebrating literacy, the National
Word Power Challenge reaches students during their critical middle school
years to foster a lifelong love of words and reading.
The Word on America's Word Power Champions
America's Word Power Champions are voracious readers. This year's state
champions read an average of 100 books a year and spend an average of 15
hours reading every week, compared to just 4 hours watching TV and 8 hours
at the computer. Fantasy ranks as the most popular genre among these
vocabulary whiz kids and The Lord of the Rings claims the top spot as their
favorite book.
The Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge
Based on the popular "Word Power" column in Reader's Digest Magazine,
the most widely read magazine in the world, the Reader's Digest National
Word Power Challenge is an educational outreach program of Reader's Digest
Association, Inc. Over two million students compete in the nation's premier
vocabulary competition. The Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge
is sponsored nationally by Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats. Additional
support for the program is provided by BIC stationery products. For more
information, please visit http://www.wordpowerchallenge.com.
Kellogg Company
With 2005 sales in excess of $10 billion, Kellogg Company is the
world's leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience
foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, frozen
waffles, and meat alternatives. The Company's brands include Kellogg's,
Keebler, Pop- Tarts, Eggo, Cheez-It, Club, Nutri-Grain, Rice Krispies,
All-Bran, Special K, Mini-Wheats, Chips Deluxe, Sandies, Morningstar Farms,
Famous Amos, and Kashi. Kellogg products are manufactured in 17 countries
and marketed in more than 180 countries around the world. For more
information, visit Kellogg's web site at http://www.kelloggcompany.com.
BIC
For more than 50 years, BIC has honored the tradition of providing
high- quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this
unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands in
the world. The company values the hard work and dedication of America's
teachers and their students. It is for this reason BIC has chosen to
sponsor the Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge. For more
information on BIC, visit http://www.bicworld.com.
SOURCE Reader's Digest
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Related links:
http://www.rd.com
http://www.kelloggcompany.com
http://www.wordpowerchallenge.com http://www.bicworld.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070515/NYTU193
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org AP PhotoExpress
Network: PRN5 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
James Miller, Office: +1-201-983-0520, Cell:
+1-201-694-3604, james@jvmiller.com, or Brent O'Connor, Office:
+1-212-660-6758, Cell: +1- 917-365-4014, boconnor@dcinyc.com,
both of Dentsu Communications, for Reader's Digest
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