• PAMELA BOND - Victoria Advocate
• Originally published May 24, 2008 at 12:33 a.m., updated May 24, 2008 at 12:33 a.m.

There’s no question as to whether Cuero is proud of 13-year-old Madison Simpson. The seventh grader at Cuero Junior High will leave for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., Sunday.

The town has helped raise money to send Simpson, her parents John and Rosalie, and younger siblings Audrey and Adam to the bee. The Simpsons made $600 from a bake sale and $1,800 from a raffle.

“There’s a lot of good support from the community,” Rosalie Simpson said. “She’s a good kid. Everyone’s been congratulating us and asking how they can help. It’s nice seeing what everybody’s done for us.”

The support from her community has made Madison Simpson pretty confident about the upcoming competition, she said.

“Just getting up there was a big goal,” she said. “If I passed the first round, that would be a pretty good accomplishment. I think it’s going to be pretty good, but the cameras might be blinding at first.”

Madison won first place at the regional spelling bee, sponsored by the Victoria Advocate and Region 3 Education Service Center, and received Webster’s Third New International Dictionary donated by Merriam-Webster, the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award ($100 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond) donated by Jay Sugarman, a one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online donated by Encyclopedia Britannica and an all-expenses paid trip for two to Washington, D.C.

She will compete against 288 other students starting Monday with a written test of 50 words. The competition ends with a championship final round Friday night.

Spellers can win prize money depending on how far they advance.

Those who are eliminated prior to quarterfinals receive $50 and the grand prize includes a $30,000 cash prize and an engraved loving cup trophy from Scripps, a $2,500 U.S. Savings Bond and a complete reference library from Merriam-Webster, a $5,000 cash prize from Sigma Phi Epsilon Education Foundation and reference works valued at more than $3,800 from Encyclopedia Britannica.

After her softball practices and games, her little brother and sister’s games and piano lessons, Madison studies words from three “really big” books to prepare for nationals.

“Whenever we get back, late at night, I look over them,” she said. “We squeeze it in and just keep on going. The words are 10 times harder than regionals.”

Madison is looking forward to visiting the nation’s capitol. She said her family plans to take tours of the city, visit museums and “just kick back and relax.”

“The plane ride might be a little scary at first,” she said. “This is my first time to really fly.”

Pamela Bond is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6578 or pbond@vicad.com.cate.com.

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