Jody-Anne Maxwell
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Jody-Anne Maxwell from Kingston, Jamaica, was the winner of the 1998 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the age of 12.[1] She was the first contestant from outside the United States and the first African person to win in the history of the competition.[2] According to Ebony magazine, she was seen as a celebrity on her return to Jamaica.[2] She qualified for the Scripps competition by winning Jamaica's National Spelling Bee Championship, which her sister Janice had also won in 1990.[2]
Her prize for winning included $10,000 cash.[1] The Caribbean Hotel Association, and another company, also awarded her an education trust fund of $11,000 (U.S).[3]
She later went on to host the local Jamaican program The KFC Quiz Show up until 2004 when the post was handed off to Samantha Strachan and Raine Manley Robertson.
She also was a contestant on Nickelodeon's game show, Figure it Out, in 1998. She successfully stumped the panel of judges for all three rounds.
| Preceded by Rebecca Sealfon |
Scripps National Spelling Bee winner 1998 |
Succeeded by Nupur Lala |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Jamaican girl crowned national spelling champ: Wins $10,000 by correctly spelling 'chiaroscurist'", CNN, 1998-05-28. Retrieved on June 20, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Spelling her way to success: first black winner of championship is celebrity in Jamaica - Judy-Anne Maxwell wins 1998 National Spelling Bee", [[Ebony (magazine)|]], FindArticles.com, October 1998. Retrieved on June 20, 2006.
- ^ Hoffman, Lise. "Spelling's queen bee - Jody Anne Maxwell of Kingston, Jamaica is winner of Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee", The Saturday Evening Post, FindArticles.com, September-October 1998. Retrieved on June 20, 2006.
