I'm back! And greater than ever. I moved schools and won the school spelling bee for the second time in a row and it was at a whole different education. I once again made it to regionals, and made to the finals by correctly jaguar, mongrel, and charlatan. The finals were a bit nerve wracking. I got through the first three rounds with lumpish, carpentry, and relentless. I was then kicked out by misspelling parsonage. But, as luck would have it, there was a new invitational program created by my dream. The national bee.

Dina Miranda, a seventh-grader at Stanford Middle School in Long Beach, California, has earned a trip to the national finals after winning the Los Angeles County Regional Spelling Bee. It was a marathon event that lasted 10 hours with more than 500 words. The championship word for Dina was "grivoiserie."

Photo credit: South Bay Community News

Nilla Rajan, a seventh-grader at Bishop Flaget School in Chillicothe, Ohio, is returning to the national finals for a second time. She previously competed in 2016, and now she is back with experience, preparation and a new focus. She won the regional spelling bee sponsored by Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication with the word "Mozambique."

Photo credit: Chillicothe Gazette

Despite the lingering impact of Hurricane Maria, many children in Puerto Rico remained dedicated spellers. Nearly 30 students qualified for the Eureka Enrichment and Learning Center national spelling bee. Almudena Soler, a fifth-grader, was crowned the champion. Her brother was the Puerto Rico champion in 2013, but Almudena was too little for the trip. Now she has her own opportunity.

Photo credit: Spelling Bee Puerto Rico

Joshua Saylor, a seventh-grade student at Mirror Lake Middle School in Chugiak, Alaska, raised his arms in triumph after winning the Alaska State Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. He defended his title as champion by correctly spelling "pompier" in the ninth round.

Photo credit: Bill Roth, Anchorage Daily News

First I participated in my school spelling bee. All the spellers were eliminated in the first round except for me and a girl. It lasted about 20-30 minutes. I was the winner for my school spelling bee in fourth grade. At the county I won first place by the word "caribou". Next I have a county I got third place the word I missed is "pilates" it means a exercise regimen. The winner in 2016 lost in the first round by the word knavery. There was a girl beside me that got the word knavery wrong. The both spelled "n-a-v-e-r-y" that was a tricky word because the k is silent.

Rahul Naveen, an eighth-grader at Medea Creek Middle School in Oak Park, California, is the champion of the SAGE Ventura County Spelling Bee and will represent Ventura County and SAGE Publishing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington. Rahul outlasted 130 competitors and spelled through 29 rounds before winning by correctly spelling "effervescence."

Photo credit: Ventura County Star

Prisha Patel, a sixth-grader at Rocky Mount Academy in North Carolina, continued the family legacy by winning the Advancement Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Delta Center for Life Development. Prisha took the top prize with the word “terrapin.” Her brother won the competition last year. She thanked her parents for helping her prepare. 

Photo credit: Rocky Mount Telegram