Area residents can watch a local student compete in 2013 Mississippi Statewide Spelling Bee as it is broadcast live on Mississippi Public Broadcasting TV Tuesday, March 19, at 10 a.m.

Brandon Ashmore, a student at Lipsey Middle School, will be participating and representing Lincoln County in the event. The winner of this event will go on to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

Sixth-grader Brandon, of Brookhaven, earned the chance to compete in the state event by winning the district spelling bee Feb. 11 in Lincoln County. He is the son of Tracey Robinson of Brookhaven and Rodney Ashmore of Jackson.

Twenty-nine students from across the state will put their spelling skills to the test in the live broadcast Tuesday in the MPB building in Jackson. The winner will go on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in Washington, D.C. in May.

MPB Think Radio’s own Kevin Farrell will pronounce the competition this year.

“MPB is thrilled to spotlight these talented young people through our statewide broadcasting network,” said MPB Executive Director Ronnie Agnew. “The contestants in the spelling bee are a snapshot of the brightest in the Mississippi education system and MPB is proud to play a small role in highlighting their achievement.”

The event is sponsored by the Mississippi Association of Educators.

“The Mississippi Association has been honored to sponsor this event for the past five years and working with MPB has been an enormous benefit as well,” says Kevin F. Gilbert, President of MAE. “Once again, we are excited to showcase the scholastic talents of some of Mississippi’s most extraordinary students.”

According to the E. W. Scripps Company, which administers the National Spelling Bee program, the spelling bee is open to students who have neither turned 16 nor passed beyond the eighth grade and who currently attend schools officially enrolled with the spelling bee program for the current academic year.

A complete list of rules for the event can be found at www.spellingbee.com. More information also may be found by visiting www.mpbonline.org.