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.
Rosy Kannankeril, an eighth-grader from Franklin Classical School in Franklin, Tennessee, had the impressive backdrop of the Tennessee Titans stadium for her regional spelling bee in Nashville. At this event, the top two spellers advance to the national finals. She was runner-up in the event with the winning word "stolon." This is the third regional event sponsored by the NFL team.
Lakeview Middle School eighth-grader Saagar Dubey had his eye on the prize at the MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot Spelling Bee in Jackson, Michigan. But the prize wasn't necessarily the trophy — it was a cell phone promised by his parents, if he won. His winning words were "agave" and "Mongol." He said he's been doing this since the fifth grade and enjoys the competition.
Carter Herron, a seventh-grader at South Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia, spelled “expropriate” and “pro rata” correctly to win the North Central West Virginia Regional Spelling Bee. His father said he had a solid training regimen to prepare for the event. Carter previously competed at the regional level in 2016.
Lauren Holsapple. an eighth-grade home-schooled student eliminated distractions by closing her eyes when she spelled at the Columbia Missourian Regional Spelling Bee. After spelling "pneumonectomy" correctly she opened her eyes to see and hear the cheers from the audience. She said she finds competing "exhilarating and nauseating at the same time."
Simone Kaplan took advantage of a second opportunity to have her winning moment, complete with a mic drop, at the 78th Annual Miami Herald Spelling Bee in Broward County, Florida. Her winning word was "aioli." The sixth-grader from St. Bonaventure Catholic School has been preparing since her appearance in the national finals in 2017.
Divide and conquer was the strategy for Jay Schoenen, a seventh-grader from Gov. Mifflin Middle School in Reading, Pennsylvania. To prepare, he studied a different language of origin each night. And when he misspelled, his brother offered his own form of motivation by throwing things at him. Jay spelled "dismissive" to become champion at the 38th annual Berks County Spelling Bee.
Eighth-grader Lucas Tardif from AuSable Valley Central School District in Keeseville, New York, topped a tough field to win the Champlain Valley Educational Services Regional Spelling Bee. Twelve neighboring school districts competed in the event, which was sponsored by the Press-Republican.
It took 16 words for Brendan Pawlicki, a sixth-grader at St. Lawrence Elementary School in Utica, Michigan, to spell his way to a return trip to the national finals. He won on the word, “einkorn,” a type of wheat. When standing at the microphone, he would shake his hands, appearing nervous. However, Brendan said afterward it wasn't nerves; the hand shaking was “me being happy.”
In her first year competing in spelling bees, Isabelle Aujla is having quite the rookie season. She won The Roanoke Times’ 45th Annual Regional Spelling Bee in Virginia, by correctly spelling “dignitary” and “geographer.” The seventh-grader at North Cross School was all smiles and nervous energy as she accepted a trophy and an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C.