Community Corner

Macomb's Nate Britton Competes in Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 11-year-old Macomb Township resident is one of 278 children from across the nation who will take part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week.

B-R-I-T-T-O-N

Remember that name, Macomb, as it belongs to the township's own 11-year-old Nathaniel F. Britton who will be competing in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, D.C.

A fifth grader at Peace Lutheran School in Shelby Township, Britton won the Macomb Daily Regional Spelling Bee in March and now faces 277 spellers from across the country in the national contest.

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Fans at home will recognize him as Speller No. 122, sponsored by The Macomb Daily.

A soccer fan, Britton is a central midfielder on his local team, with 37 goals and 40 assists to his name. He also plays basketball for his school and enjoys football, ping-pong, kickball and martial arts.

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An avid chessplayer, he competed at the Utica Community Schools' Chess Tournament this spring. With so many interests, Britton is considering a variety of careers, including professional soccer player, sports writer, statistician, commentator and computer programmer.

This is Britton's first trip to Washington, D.C.

Fans at home can cheer on the hometown hero while watching live broadcasts of the bee on ESPN networks.

  • Preliminaries: Wednesday, May 30, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. EDT. Live on ESPN3.com.
  • Semifinals: Thursday, May 31, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. EDT. Live on ESPN2.
  • Championship Finals: Thursday, May 31, 8 p.m.–10 p.m. EDT. Live on ESPN.

Bee Facts

  • The one and only winner of the bee to hail from Michigan was Louis Edward Sissman, of Detroit, in 1941. He won on the word "initials."
  • The Scripps National Spelling Bee was first broadcast on network television in 1946.
  • There are 12 spellers from Michigan competing in the 2012 bee.


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