Students from elementary and junior high schools across the district participated in the Annual District Spelling Bee at Campo Verde High on January 23rd. The event featured eager students competing onstage, demonstrating their spelling abilities.
The competition was intense, lasting 20 rounds with "trudged" as the winning word. Other challenging words included "deliquesce," "chevalier," "penitentiary," "crepuscular," and "netiquette." Kelly Morgan, Spelling Bee organizer and Gilbert Elementary Media Specialist, noted, “The words were very challenging this year,” adding that the top two spellers were so proficient that they required additional random words from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary in the final rounds.
Audience members reported learning new words during the competition. In a photograph of the winners, Lauren Aguilar from Gilbert Elementary took first place. Vaishnavi Shah from Gilbert Classical Academy placed second, while Austin Richards from Patterson Elementary came third. Tom Sollis from Meridian Elementary secured fourth place; Maggie Hammer from Highland Park Elementary was fifth; Joshua Mantanona from Desert Ridge Junior High took sixth; Jonah Webb from Superstition Springs Elementary placed seventh; and Eleanor Davis from Highland Junior High came eighth.
Lauren Aguilar had previously finished third in last year's spelling bee. All participants received congratulations for their efforts.
These eight finalists will proceed to the Region 6 Spelling Bee on February 12th at the Chandler Center for the Performing Arts. Two winners will advance to state-level competition in March, with a chance to compete in May at the Scripps National Spelling Bee's 100th Anniversary.
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