Latest news with #RegionalSpellingBee
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Akron's speller moves to 3rd round of Scripps National Spelling Bee
OXON HILL, Maryland – Akron Beacon Journal Regional Spelling Bee champion Zach Yeager of Doylestown has moved on to the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 14-year-old eighth grader from Chippewa Jr./Sr. High School in Doylestown correctly spelled his first word − QUONK. He then correctly selected the definition of his vocabulary word − BOISTEROUS − in the bee's second round. The definition was "full of exhuberant spirits." Yeager now will move on to the bee's third round, which involves a written test. Spellers will face 28 spelling words and 12 vocabulary words. Five words will not count toward the spellers' scores, but officials won't tell them which ones as they're taking the test. Bee officials said close to 100 spellers will move on to Round 4. Beginning with Route 3, spellers will face words they haven't studied. Spellers had a list of about 3,000 words to study for the first two rounds. There are 243 spellers in this year's bee. Yeager is representing The Akron Beacon Journal in the national bee, after winning its Regional Bee in March. It's Yeager's second consecutive trip to the event after also winning Akron's bee in 2024. The Beacon Journal itself has a featured role in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Its regional bee was named Scripps' Partner of the Year for 2025. Akron's spelling bee is the longest, continuously running partner in the national bee. This year is the Scripps National Spelling Bee's 100th birthday. Akron has had a speller in every bee since the very first, when nine students competed. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron's speller Zach Yeager moves to 3rd round in Scripps spelling bee
Chicago Tribune
21-03-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County 12-year-old headed to National Spelling Bee after marathon faceoff; ‘This is no different than a sport'
Lake County seventh-grader Visharad Sathish is headed to Washington, D.C. after taking first place in a more-than-45-round marathon of a spelling bee at the Lake County Regional Office of Education Wednesday evening. He will compete at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. Seventy-three Lake County schools and hundreds of students had participated in spelling bee sectionals across the county prior to Wednesday's Regional Spelling Bee. The evening's competition began quickly enough, led by Ashley Whitaker, dual language instructional specialist at John Lewis Middle School in Waukegan, with one student eliminated in the first round with the word 'dawdle.' Competitors continued to be whittled down each round, including one missing the word 'literally.' But things ground to a halt as Visharad, a 12-year-old who attends Lake Forest Country Day School, faced 13-year-old Ian Leong, from Matthews Middle School in Island Lake, for well over an hour, long after the other nine students had been eliminated. The competition went on so long, that each consecutive round was followed by a quiet gasp from the small crowd of parents, and a few playful groans from younger siblings. Some parents of eliminated participants traded wide-eyed glances with their children after especially difficult words, including 'umbelliferous' and 'sponsalia.' Both students continued to trade orthographic knowledge until they reached the final portion of the competition. The judges explained all the terms going forward would not be on the list of words the students had been provided to study, instead drawing from 'Merriam Webster Unabridged.' It was ultimately 'kombu,' a Japanese word for edible kelp, that Ian slipped up on, and Visharad managed to successfully spell 'osoberry' and 'Chesapeake' to take first place, winning a one-year subscription to 'Merriam Webster Unabridged' and Britannica Online premium, and a 2025 United States Mint coin set. Visharad will also receive a six-night stay for the National Spelling Bee, which is celebrating its 100th year. The Grayslake resident said he's following in his family's footsteps. His older brother, 16-year-old Sahasrad, previously made it to the national competition, and will give him some coaching as the main event approaches. Visharad said he has plenty of work ahead, even after Wednesday's drawn-out competition. 'I'm pretty excited,' he said. 'It's pretty surreal. I have to do a lot more preparation, probably every single day.' That includes plenty of reading. Visharad said he even studies the dictionary, going through the definitions and pronunciations of difficult words. He finds words with unique language patterns, especially those from French and German, the hardest for him. Visharad shared the reactions from friends at school and his family after his win Wednesday night. 'They're pretty excited for me,' he said. 'They congratulated me a lot. They wanted to know more about what would happen after I go to the nationals. (My family) was very proud of me after I won.' Michel Karner, regional superintendent of schools for the Lake County Regional Office of Education, said the county has been participating in the Scripps spelling bee for many decades, with a local student even making it several rounds at the national level last year. 'It's very competitive, and students take this very seriously,' he said. 'This is no different than a sport or other activity, where they really want to excel and be that winner.' Karner, who recalled competing in spelling bees himself as a child, said they are a 'great opportunity' for younger students to get involved academically. His go-to difficult word is 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,' although competitors will be happy to know it won't be appearing during any official spelling bees.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Local university to host spelling bee on Friday
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – More than 50 students from across the Miami Valley will compete in a regional spelling bee on Friday at Wright State. The winner of the Wright State University Regional Spelling Bee will earn a spot in the 100th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee to be held near Washington D.C. at the end of May. The competitors are all from fourth to eighth grade. The Wright State Bee will begin at 5 p.m. in the Student Union Apollo Room. The National Spelling Bee will be held at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center hotel in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. It will run Tuesday, May 27, through Thursday, May 29. The National Spelling Bee will be available to watch on our CW station WBDT. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lillith Bakken-Johnson takes second runner-up at regional spelling bee
Feb. 21—THIEF RIVER FALLS — Bemidji Middle School's Lillith Bakken-Johnson placed second runner-up in the Northwest Service Cooperative's Regional Spelling Bee on Feb. 5 at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. Bakken-Johnson advanced to the regional spelling bee after securing a victory at the BMS Spelltacular, which took place on Jan. 18. She was joined by second through fourth-place winners Clara Martin, Noah Holden and Alaina O'Beirne. A total of 29 spellers had advanced from local and district competitions throughout the region. All spellers participated in a written round before the top 14 spellers advanced to the oral round of competition. Sacred Heart's Jaden Go won the regional competition and will advance to the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. at the end of May.
