Sophia Clark Wins Baltimore Bee
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 Makes Return Trip to DC
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.
Photo credit: Cape Hatteras Secondary School
Alexandria Ciurlino Stays Focused to Win Again in NJ
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.”
Photo credit: Lauren Carroll, Press of Atlantic City
Daniela Danilova Visualizes Her Way to Winning
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.
Photo credit: David Petkiewicz, Cleveland.com
Grace McKeegan Earns a Return Trip to National Finals
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.
Photo credit: Kristen Tuell, WTOV9
Lyla Heising Makes Most of Her Last Chance
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."
Photo credit: Jetta Fraser, The Blade
Anna Liu Earns Top Honors in Akron, OH
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."
Photo credit: Karen Schiely, Beacon Journal
Aashi Mishra Is Spectacular in NJ
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.
Photo credit: Somerset County Library System
Noah Clark Reads to Victory in NY
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.
Photo credit: Mark Gutman, Daily News
Charles Millard Gets Momentum in Maryland
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.