Sri Nemmani, an eighth-grader at Page Middle School in Franklin, Tennessee, will represent his school and his community when he competes at the national finals. About 70 spellers from across the state gathered at the Tennessee Titans' stadium. The top two spellers advanced. Sri won the event by spelling "khedive." In addition to spelling he loves to read and play table tennis.
Correctly spelling the word “Vatican” made Lowell Torola, an eighth-grader at Washington Middle School in Calumet, Michigan, the winner of the Upper Peninsula Community Education Association’s Spelling Bee. He said his family is known as the "Spelling Torolas." Other family members have advanced to the national finals in the past.
It took nearly 30 rounds of competition, but Daniel Sibincic, an eighth-grader at Taft Middle School in Crown Point, Indiana, stayed calm under pressure to win the Kankakee Valley REMC Regional Spelling Bee. In his first appearance in the regional spelling competition, he correctly spelled "cambio" to win. He also competes in geography and science contests.
Kara Willson, an eighth-grader from East Wenatchee, Washington, took home the top prize at the North Central Washington Regional Spelling Bee. The competition included 44 students in grades four through eight from area schools. The winning word for Kara was “recidivist.” The program is sponsored by the Washington Apple Education Foundation.
Mera Moucharrafie, a seventh-grader at Belvidere Central Middle School in Illinois, overcame her nerves to win the 35th annual Boone Winnebago Regional Spelling Bee. She bested 30 other spellers and won with the final two words: "apartheid" and "peccadillo." In addition to her spelling talents, she loves to run with the school's cross country and track teams.
Nathan Ostermann, a seventh-grader at Wilson Junior High in El Centro, California, had just returned from a science fair competition when he stepped on the stage to defend his title as Imperial County Regional champion. He did not disappoint. In the 14th round, he correctly spelled "expropriate" to win a return trip to the national finals.
Shiv Mehrotra-Varma had a strong ally helping him prepare — Ananya Vinay, the 2017 national champion. Shiv, a fifth-grader at Fugman Elementary School in Fresno, California, lives next door to his friend, and she helped him prepare for this competition. He won by spelling "einkorn." He said it was an unexpected victory, and he plans to try his best in D.C.
Navneeth Murali is on to the next level of studying as he plans for his trip to the national finals. He won the 34th Annual Asbury Park Press/Home News Tribune Regional Spelling Bee in Neptune, New Jersey. The event was hosted by Monmouth University.
Photo credit: James J. Connolly, Asbury Park Press
For the second year in a row, Melodie Loya of Bainbridge, New York, won the Daily Star Regional Spelling Bee. Twenty-two spellers competed for the regional title and Melodie, a seventh-grader, clinched it in the 15th round with “frivolous.” She loves mythology and fiction books, and English is her favorite subject.
Vaibhavi Mahajan, an eighth-grader at Northwest Rankin Middle School in Flowood, Mississippi, will represent her school and her state in the national finals. About 50 students gathered at Jackson State University for the 2018 Mississippi Spelling Bee. Vaibhavi correctly spelled "expropriate" for the win.