Grace McKeegan, a homeschooled eighth-grader from Steubenville, Ohio, is heading back to the nation's capital after winning the Jefferson-Harrison County Regional Spelling Bee. She correctly spelled "infraorder" to defend her title. In addition to reviewing the word lists for the competition, she also made a habit of writing down unfamiliar words while reading.
After more than three hours of spelling dozens of words, Lyla Heising, an eighth-grader from Pettisville Junior High School in Wauseon, Ohio, topped 50 of the region’s best spellers in the 2018 Blade Northwest Ohio Championship Spelling Bee. This was her fourth and final chance to advance from the regional event. She won with "innovative."
Anna Liu and her Hudson Middle School classmates, dominated the Akron Beacon Journal Regional Spelling Bee, taking the top three spots. Anna, a seventh-grader, had the support of her parents to help her prepare for the competition. After many food-related words, Anna won with "inevitability."
Aashi Mishra, a seventh-grader from Valley View School in Watchung, New Jersey, put on quite a show of spelling prowess at the 2018 Bee Spectacular at the Somerset County Vocational and Technical School. A total of 60 students from the county, representing dozens of schools, participated.
In preparation for the Western New York Spelling Bee, Noah Clark, a 13-year-old student at G.R.A.C.E. Leah Home School in Bergen, New York, spent every moment he could either studying words or reading more books. The effort paid off as he spelled "strategy" and "rouge" in the final rounds. His two sisters were just as proud as they were excited for the upcoming family trip to D.C.
Charles Millard, a seventh-grader from Frederick Classical Charter School in Frederick, Maryland, did not let fatigue slow down his momentum at the Frederick County Spelling Bee. In the 18th round, he correctly spelled “contemporaneous” to claim the title. He thanked his mom, a teacher and an administrator at his school for encouraging him to participate.
The best spellers in a 26-county region surrounding Topeka, Kansas, competed in the 65th annual regional spelling bee. Abrar Nasser, an eighth-grader at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, correctly spelled "silica." The event, sponsored by the Kansas Press Association, included 250 words and lasted 27 rounds.
In just the fifth grade, Alesya Rathinasamy already has three years of experience competing in the WIPB-TV Regional Spelling Bee. After second and third place finishes, this year she took the top prize. The Burris Laboratory School student lasted 40 rounds against students representing 60 area schools.
Genoa-Kingston Middle School eighth-grade student Bryanna Sonntag had all the right words in her study preparation, including her winning word, "repertoire." As many kids do, the DeKalb County Spelling Bee champion made some tough choices to find time for studying. Her mom said she didn’t audition for theater activities as usual, and instead studied spelling and vocabulary.
Champion is once again spelled "G-r-i-m-a-l-d-o" after another rousing Inland Northwest Regional Spelling Bee in Lewiston, Idaho. Julia Grimaldo, a seventh-grader from Orofino Junior-Senior High School, repeated as the winner at the competition, which Lewis-Clark State College hosted. Julia carries on the family tradition set by her older sisters, Anna and Frances Grimaldo.