Jody-Anne Maxwell
Encyclopedia
Jody-Anne Maxwell from Kingston, Jamaica
, was the winner of the 1998 Scripps National Spelling Bee
at the age of 12. She was the first contestant from outside the United States
to win in the history of the competition.
According to Ebony
magazine, she was viewed as a celebrity
on her return to Jamaica. Maxwell also attained significant fame in Jamaican communities within the United States.
Maxwell qualified for the Scripps competition by winning Jamaica's National Spelling Bee Championship, which her sister Janice had also won in 1990. Her prizes for winning the "national" bee included $10,000 cash, and an education trust fund of $11,000 (U.S).
She later went on to host the local Jamaican program The KFC Quiz Show with various co-hosts, (the first two being Dominique Lyew and Damar Pessoa) up until 2004 when the post was handed off to Samantha Strachan and Raine Manley Robertson.
Maxwell was also a contestant on Nickelodeon
's game show Figure it Out in 1998. She successfully stumped the panel of judges for all three rounds.
She now attends the Norman Manley Law School at the University of the West Indies
, Mona Campus.
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, was the winner of the 1998 Scripps National Spelling Bee
Scripps National Spelling Bee
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W...
at the age of 12. She was the first contestant from outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to win in the history of the competition.
According to Ebony
Ebony (magazine)
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
magazine, she was viewed as a celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
on her return to Jamaica. Maxwell also attained significant fame in Jamaican communities within the United States.
Maxwell qualified for the Scripps competition by winning Jamaica's National Spelling Bee Championship, which her sister Janice had also won in 1990. Her prizes for winning the "national" bee included $10,000 cash, and an education trust fund of $11,000 (U.S).
She later went on to host the local Jamaican program The KFC Quiz Show with various co-hosts, (the first two being Dominique Lyew and Damar Pessoa) up until 2004 when the post was handed off to Samantha Strachan and Raine Manley Robertson.
Maxwell was also a contestant on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's game show Figure it Out in 1998. She successfully stumped the panel of judges for all three rounds.
She now attends the Norman Manley Law School at the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
, Mona Campus.