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.
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."