After 40 rounds, Oakridge Middle School seventh-grader Bharath Ram improved his second-place finish from 2017 to win the Collier County district spelling bee. He earned the trophy and the trip to the national finals with “fortification.” He said spelling is important to him, but he wasn't able to study much because of a different academic competition. That will change for nationals.
In the Tri-State Spelling Bee, spellers from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania came together to spell it out on stage to see who would advance to the national finals. Lucas Tusinean, an eighth-grader from Dingman-Delaware Middle School in Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania, emerged as the champion, after correctly spelling “giraffe.”
A year away from the national finals was too long for Eric Kim, a sixth-grader from Wakefield Forest Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia. So he's going back again, after winning the Fairfax County Spelling Bee. He has another chance to compete on the national stage. He correctly spelled "kibitzer" to win.
Johnathan Randall, a 12-year-old from Central Eleuthera High School in the Bahamas, is the country's top speller. He hesitated to compete for a third time in the 21st Bahamas National Spelling Bee, but his mother's encouragement convinced him. He said he feels honored to represent his country at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. His final word was "amphivorous."
At only 8 years old, Praneeth Devireddy is quite the spelling machine. The third-grader at Coddle Creek Elementary in Mooresville, North Carolina, wowed the crowd with his spelling efficiency, including his final two words — "laterite" and "horotelic" — to win the 78th annual Winston-Salem Journal Regional Spelling Bee.
Ryan Presler, a seventh-grader from Brandon Valley Middle School in Brandon, South Dakota, was determined to not be the runner-up again at the University of South Dakota Spelling Bee. His preparation was focused and the hard work enabled him to reach his goal— winning a spot in the national finals. His final winning word was "theomachy."
Autumn Reeves, a sixth-grader from Forest Area Middle School in Traverse City, Michigan, dedicated time and effort to reach the regional event this year, after falling short in 2017. She did more than reach it — she won it. She was confident with most of the words, including those in the final rounds. In addition to the spelling competition, she'd like to see the White House while in D.C.
On his fourth trip to the Oakland Schools Scripps Regional Spelling Bee, Rahul Reddy, an eighth-grader at Notre Dame Preparatory Academy in Pontiac, Michigan, decided, this time, not to study so much. With the pressure off, he rose to the occasion to win by correctly spelling “notabilia.” For his collective years of effort, he earns a trip to the national finals.
Samantha Ho, a Thornburg Middle School sixth-grader in Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, did not want to repeat as runner-up in the 13th annual Fredericksburg Spelling Bee. When she had her opportunity, she correctly spelled "“chrysanthemum” and "amphivorous" to win the large trophy and a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Jenna Ng, a fifth-grader from New Covenant Schools in Lynchburg, Virginia, had plenty of skill to go with her beginner's luck in her first appearance at The News & Advance’s Regional Spelling Bee. She and her fellow spellers did their best to avoid the dreaded bell. On the 300th word, Jenna correctly spelled "version" to advance to the national finals.