New Rochelle High School's Rebecca Maxfield Wins the New York Citywide Competition of the Second Annual 'National Vocabulary Championship'

New Rochelle High School's Rebecca Maxfield Wins the New York Citywide Competition of the Second Annual 'National Vocabulary Championship'

Maxfield outperforms 97 other vocabulary scholars, winning $5,000 toward a higher education savings plan and qualifying to compete in the National Vocabulary Championship Finals in Los Angeles on March 10

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Rebecca Maxfield, a 16-year-old junior at New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, outperformed 97 other local high school vocabulary scholars tonight, winning the NVC New York Citywide Championship. As the local champion, Maxfield earned $5,000 toward a "529" higher education savings plan and qualifies to compete in the "National Vocabulary Championship" Finals in Los Angeles on March 10, 2008.

The National Vocabulary Championship is a national academic competition conceived by GSN (Game Show Network) and its educational partner, The Princeton Review. The competition goes beyond traditional 'spelling bees' to test word definitions and overall word comprehension while providing college-bound students with the tools necessary to effectively communicate their ideas to the world. The NVC is hosting eight citywide qualifying events prior to the NVC Finals in LA, in which Maxfield will go head-to-head with 49 other top scoring students from the more than 100,000 who participated throughout the country. The winner of the NVC Finals will receive $40,000 toward a "529" higher education savings plan and the title of 2008 National Vocabulary Champion.

Presented in partnership with Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey and Cablevision's Power to Learn, tonight's live event was held at Bayard Rustin Educational Complex in New York, NY. The event featured the top 98 scorers of the 13,000-plus students who participated at the qualifying level from over 90 local area schools including: Academy of Mt. St. Ursula, Bronx Acad. Of Letters, Cardinal McCarrick High, DeWitt Clinton High, Dr. Susan S. McKinney Secondary, Edgemont High, Edward R. Murrow High, Franklin Delano Roosevelt High, Frederick Douglass Academy, Hillcrest High, LaGuardia High, Long Island City High, Martin Van Buren High, Midwood High, New Hyde Park Memorial High, Pablo Neruda Academy, St. Raymond High School for Boys, The Dwight School, Townsend Harris High, West Essex Regional High and William H. Maxwell High.

On hand to lend their support to the NVC were such notables as Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and New York City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein.

Maxfield sealed her victory in the third and final round of competition by correctly identifying "gauge" as the word that can also mean "an instrument used for measuring" from the following sentence:

"You should gauge society's evolution in centuries, not decades; the ripening of new cogitations is sluggish, not instantaneous."

The knock-out-style round of vocabulary questions had begun with five finalists, of which Allison Schneider (LaGuardia High School) and Thomas Jackson (High Technology High School) placed second and third, respectively. As second- and third-place finalists, Schneider and Jackson will each receive Encyclopaedia Britannica's 2008 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD as well as books and services from The Princeton Review. All competitors were awarded one-year Encyclopaedia Britannica Online subscriptions from NVC sponsor Encyclopaedia Britannica.

At the NVC Finals on March 10, Maxfield will be joining Northeast Ohio's Joel Fichter (an 18-year-old senior at St. Edward High School), Detroit's Steven Banks (a 17-year-old senior from Renaissance High School), St. Louis's Rajiv Tarigopula (a 15-year-old sophomore from Parkway West High School), Sacramento's Yvonne Lin (a 16-year-old sophomore from Folsom High School) and Nashville's Brian Swenson (a 16-year-old junior from Montgomery Bell Academy), each of whom recently won their own NVC citywide championships.

A partner of this and other educational initiatives in the area, Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey has again lent support to the National Vocabulary Championship. "Time Warner Cable has always felt a strong responsibility toward bringing such unique educational opportunities like GSN's National Vocabulary Championship to the students and communities of the New York region," said Harriet Novet, Vice President, Public Affairs, Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey. "It was an honor to witness these accomplished students compete, and we wish Rebecca all the best at the National Finals."

"Power to Learn is committed to the education and development of every child throughout the tri-state area," said Trent Anderson, Vice President, Education, Cablevision. "The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most powerful tools these students will carry with them beyond tonight's competition. In addition to wishing them all the best in their future endeavors, we look forward to seeing Rebecca in the National Finals on March 10."

"Time Warner and Cablevision have been ardent supporters and valued partners of the NVC's efforts to further promote education programs in schools throughout the New York area," said Dennis Gillespie, Senior Vice President of Distribution, GSN. "We're delighted to discover such a marked increase in student participation throughout the country this year and congratulate Rebecca on her victory here in New York."

To learn more about the NVC, visit http://www.winwithwords.com/.

About the "National Vocabulary Championship"

GSN's National Vocabulary Championship (NVC) is a nationwide academic competition that offers high school students the opportunity to win money toward college tuition through local and national events. Created by GSN, along with educational partner The Princeton Review, the NVC is open to eligible high school students in the 50 United States and District of Columbia. The NVC is the cornerstone of GSN's award-winning "Win With Words" public service campaign dedicated to improving language arts skills in high schools by promoting the value of an enhanced vocabulary, providing free Princeton Review study materials and engaging students in wordplay. For free vocabulary study materials or for more information on GSN's National Vocabulary Championship, please visit http://www.winwithwords.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: GSN's National Vocabulary Championship

CONTACT: Cindy Ronzoni of GSN, +1-310-255-6933, cronzoni@gsn.com

Web site:

http://www.gsn.com/
http://www.winwithwords.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos available at winwithwords.com and corp.gsn.com

-------
Profile: intent