The 30th annual Links, Inc./The Times-Picayune Spelling Bee in New Orleans came down to an impressive and dramatic conclusion. Thomas Gross III of LaPLace Elementary won with "tritium" after 25 rounds of words just between the last two spellers. The appreciative crowd gasped in disbelief over the difficulty of some words during the 40-round competition.
Persistence paid off for Maya Jyothinagaram, an eighth-grader from Maroa-Forsyth Middle School in Decatur, Illinois, when she won the Central Illinois regional spelling bee on her fifth time competing in the event and after years of studying. Her winning word was "agave" in the 17th round.
It was fitting for an eighth-grader from St. Patrick School in Terre Haute, Indiana, to win the Tribune-Star Wabash Valley Regional Spelling Bee on St. Patrick's Day. Eleanor Gallagher squared off with 23 other students from Wabash Valley elementary and middle schools before spelling the championship word for a musical instrument she recognized, "spinet."
Joseph Moran, a sixth-grader from North Idaho Home Educators Association, won the 15th annual North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee. Joseph is the returning champion for his region that includes 40 schools across North Idaho. The event lasted 26 rounds and Joseph won by correctly spelling "arachnid" and "surveillance."
Savannah Huber, a student at Challenger School in Meridian, Idaho, had a different kind of strategy before the Southwest Idaho Regional Spelling Bee. She didn't study. After coming in sixth place last year with studying, she didn't want to get her hopes up for this year. She won with "deity."
Amith Vasantha, a seventh-grader from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley School in San Jose, California, received an enthusiastic send-off from his classmates as he embarked on the KPIX-TV/CBS Bay Area Spelling Bee regional finals. The cheers continued as Amith won when he successfully spelled “clogwyn.”
Nehem Felices, an eighth-grader at Landisville Middle School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was just trying to improve on his 2017 performance of third place. He was shocked and bewildered when he won the 60th Annual LNP Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "kiloton." He and his family are now making plans for the unexpected trip to the nation's capital.
Saketh Sundar, seventh-grader at Clarksville Middle School in Maryland, is the first three-time Howard County Library System Spelling Bee champion. The competition lasted more than five hours and ended with Saketh correctly spelling "boudin." Saketh made it to the prime time finals on ESPN last year.
Jasper Ralph, a fifth-grader from the West Tisbury School, bested five other competitors to win the 26th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Schools Spelling Bee. Jasper correctly spelled “apathy” and “fatigue” to win. Thanks to the regional high school and The Martha's Vineyard Times for being the sponsors of the program.
In Georgia, it all came down to one competition to determine who would advance to the national finals. From thousands of spellers across the state, there were just 20 in the 57th Annual Georgia Association of Educators State Spelling Bee. Kyu Alegre, a seventh-grader from Carrollton Junior High in Carrollton City, emerged as the winner.