Keystone Oaks High School's Daniel Weber Wins the First-Ever 'National Vocabulary Championship' Pittsburgh Citywide Competition

Daniel Weber, a 17-year-old senior at Keystone Oaks High School in Pittsburgh, outperformed 96 other local vocabulary high school scholars tonight, winning the first-ever NVC Pittsburgh Citywide Championship. As the local champion, Weber earned $5,000 toward a "529" college saving plan and qualifies to compete in the "National Vocabulary Championship" finals in New York City on February 26, 2007.

The National Vocabulary Championship is a nationwide educational initiative conceived by television network GSN that aims to promote the importance of vocabulary skills in school, at work and at play. Along with its educational partner, The Princeton Review, the NVC is hosting eight citywide events prior to the New York City finals. The finals will feature Weber as he goes head-to-head with 49 other students from around the country as they compete to win $40,000 to be invested in a "529" College Savings Plan and the title of "National Vocabulary Champion."

Tonight's live event, sponsored by Comcast, was held at Heinz Field in the East Club Lounge and featured 97 high school students aged between 13 and 19 from the following local schools: Baldwin, Brentwood, Fox Chapel, Keystone Oaks, Montour, North Allegheny, Northgate, Shaler, Sto-Rox and Woodland Hills.

On hand lending support to the event were such dignitaries as County Executive Dan Onorato, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, State Representative Don Walko, City Council President Doug Shields and Shaler Area School District Superintendent Dr. Donald Lee.

Said Weber on his winning performance, "Coming into this there were 96 other kids that knew a lot of vocabulary. I just wanted to do well and it turned out in my favor." Weber was coached for the event by Michelle McSwigan, a teacher at Keystone Oaks, who was in attendance tonight cheering on her senior student.

Weber sealed his victory by answering all ten final round questions correctly in record time -- one minute and fifteen seconds. The final round featured NVC host Dylan Lane, who also serves as host of GSN's television series "Chain Reaction," reading different paragraphs to the last seven competitors. The final contestants answered a myriad of questions involving specific words in their respective paragraphs. The questions focused on synonyms, antonyms and definitions. The contestant who responded with the most correct answers in the shortest period of time under the two-minute time limit was the winner. The runner-up to tonight's contest was Jillian Jarboe, a 17-year-old senior from North Allegheny High School.

"GSN is taking the NVC across the country to raise awareness of the importance of language arts in the classroom," said Dena Kaplan, Senior Vice President of Marketing, GSN. "We're investing in America's future by providing money for college to winning students as well as making vocabulary fun and relevant in the game of life. We are thrilled that we will be seeing Daniel Weber at the national finals in February."

Comcast has lent support since August by airing "Win with Words" public service announcements. Celebrities Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Probst, Tom Bergeron and others joined the network in filming these PSAs that encourage high school students to expand their vocabulary and, in turn, their opportunities in life.

"We're thrilled to be able to bring this program to Pittsburgh area students," commented Jody Doherty, Vice President of Public Relations of Comcast's Three Rivers Region. "Comcast has a strong commitment to this community, and we hope it shows through enriching programs like the National Vocabulary Championship. We'll be cheering for Daniel Weber to bring home the national title."

Pittsburgh students who do not attend a participating high school may still participate by taking an online exam to qualify for the "National Vocabulary Championship" finals in New York. Students can register and take the national qualifying online test at predetermined times now through November 5th.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR PARTICIPATE IN THE NVC. Open only to high school students who are legal residents of the U.S., between the ages of 13 and 19 as of the date of each applicable NVC exam and/or event. Minors in their state of residency must provide written consent from their parent or legal guardian to be eligible to advance to an NVC citywide championship or regional exam. Void where prohibited.

About "National Vocabulary Championship(TM)"
The National Vocabulary Championship (NVC) is a GSN initiative that uses competition and wordplay to engage and reward high school students, educators and parents, teaching them the value of a strong vocabulary. Created with educational partner The Princeton Review, the NVC is open to eligible high school students across the country and will be promoted in schools and through a national "Win With Words" PSA campaign. In addition, a robust, interactive website will offer a variety of free vocabulary-enhancing tools, word games and study materials.

About GSN
GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 133 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via GSN.com. Reaching 60 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation.

About Comcast
Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division of Comcast Corporation, the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 23.3 million cable customers, 10 million high-speed Internet customers and 1.6 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's Three Rivers Region serves 850,000 customers in four states, including Southwestern Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, Northern West Virginia and Garrett County, Maryland. The region employs approximately 2,400 professionals and has been recognized by the Pittsburgh Business Times for two consecutive years as one of the "50 Best Places to Work in Western Pennsylvania."