Joseph Chambers, an eighth-grader at Quioccasin Middle School in Richmond, Virginia, made the most of his first appearance at the 44th annual Richmond Times-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee. He won it by correctly spelling “braunschweiger.” He said his familiarity with the origin of words — this case, German — was critical to his success.
Kasey Torres, a seventh-grader at Cornerstone Christian School in San Angelo, Texas, will return to the national finals for his fourth try at the title. His knowledge of music-related words was a benefit this year, especially when it came to his winning word: "clarinet." He said the next two months of studying is hard, but he's up for the challenge.
Heritage Middle School student John Courtney won the 2018 Times Free Press Regional Spelling Bee in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by correctly spelling the word "stalactite." There were plenty of emotions in the competition as spellers reacted with delight or dismay to the judge's ruling.
Mark Zheng, an eighth-grade student from Conway Middle School in Conway, South Carolina, was willing to spend weeks studying, knowing the top prize was a trip to the nation's capital. His winning moment was correctly spelling "stalactite." He looks forward to seeing the monuments and learning more about our nation's history while in D.C.
Mackenzie Sambroak, a fifth-grader at Roosevelt Elementary School in McDonald, Ohio, was a powerful spelling force at The Vindicator’s 85th Regional Spelling Bee. Her championship word was a fitting one — “tour de force.” The trophy stood almost as tall as Mackenzie, and was appropriately sized for her accomplishment.
Pavani Chittemsetty, a sixth-grader at Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy in Bentonville, won the Arkansas State Spelling Bee, topping 54 other students from across the state. Pavani won by correctly spelling "laterigrade." A four-time winner of her county spelling bee, Pavani previously won the Arkansas spelling bee in 2016.
Sophia Clark is headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee after winning the Baltimore Spelling Bee regional contest at RPCS. The sixth-grader is a student at Friends School of Baltimore.
Elizabeth Muller, an eighth-grader from Cape Hatteras Secondary School in North Carolina, is ready to pack her bags and head north again for another chance at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Elizabeth spelled "silica" correctly to win the 26th annual Downeast Regional Spelling Bee. She will try to improve upon her 2017 national finals performance, when she tied for 41st place.
After 38 rounds of nonstop spelling, Alexandria Ciurlino, an eighth-grader at St. Vincent de Paul Regional School in Mays Landing, New Jersey, won the South Jersey Regional Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. She defended her title with the winning word, “lipsync.” She said the national finals are stressful, but “the key is to not let it get to you and just have fun.”
Daniela Danilova, an eighth-grader from Lee Burneson Middle School in Westlake, Ohio, has a renewed love for spelling this year. Her obsession with words helped her win the Cuyahoga County Spelling Bee. In the 23rd round, she spelled "barukhzy" to win. English is not Daniela's first language. Her family moved to Ohio from Russia when she was 6 years old.