2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee

Bee Week tips from spellers here last year

Meet competitors from Ghana, Germany and Saipan

Comedian/rapper shares his own bee experience

e e W e e k 2 0 2 4 Bee Week 2024

May 26–May 31

BEE KEEPER put in a good word

Spellers aspire to be letter perfect THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE

Welcome

calling all bee ambassadors

Spellers and families:

Welcome to the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee! Bee Week represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and perseverance, as well as the promise of new friendships and memories made over a shared love of words.

And while it is just one week, the connections you will make don’t necessarily stop here. In fact, after I “retired” from Bee competition, I started volunteering for local spelling bees in California, and then later, back at Bee Week as part of what is now called the “College Crew.” I found community among others who shared my love of language. I was able to deepen the curiosity and learning I had discovered through spelling. And now, I can help shape a program that new generations of spellers can be just as thrilled by as I was.

My story isn’t unique; the Bee continues to soar, in part thanks to many alums who stay involved after their time as competitive spellers ends. Just this year, we’ve seen appearances by several throughout the regional bee season and even here at Bee Week:

Simone Kaplan (2017–2019) and Juan Rondeau (2021–2023) both went back to the 84th annual Miami Herald Spelling Bee to help—Simone as the pronouncer and Juan as a judge.

Tony Joseph (2010–2011) served as head judge at The Minnesota Service Cooperatives’ Twin Cities Regional Spelling Bee in Minneapolis.

Shijay Sivakumar (2022) pronounced at the Ector County ISD Regional Bee. 2023 national competitors Steven Jiang and Daphne Gil hosted a series of spelling workshops at their local library in Chicago this February, culminating in a community bee.

Seven members of our College Crew and eight of our Word Panelists are former spellers.

Dr. Kevin Moch (2001–2002) and George Thampy (2000 champion) helped pronounce at the San Ramon Valley Rotary Regional Spelling Bee in the Bay Area.

Vanya Shivashankar (2015 co-champion) is lending her voice once again as Bee Week emcee.

And perhaps one of the most familiar faces of all: Dr. Jacques Bailly (1980 champion) takes his place at the mic as head pronouncer.

All this to say, I hope I can put a little bug … or bee … in your ear now, regardless of where you are on your path: your Bee story can continue beyond your time as a speller. From helping out at school and regional bees and providing feedback during the Bee’s annual speller summits, to volunteering during Bee Week and ways not even imagined yet, I hope you will consider becoming a Bee ambassador, too.

And as we head into the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s 100th anniversary in 2025, stay tuned for all the ways we’ll be engaging Bee alumni to help us celebrate this Beeloved American tradition.

champion the Bee for years to come. Have a wonderful week!

Corrie Loeffler Executive Director Scripps National Spelling Bee

published & produced by

Scripps National Spelling Bee (Corrie Loeffler, Executive Director) Cincinnati Magazine (Ivy Bayer, Publisher)

co-editors

Tyler Hyde (Scripps National Spelling Bee)

Michael Perry (The E.W. Scripps Company)

contributing editors

Corrie Loeffler (Scripps National Spelling Bee)

Becca McCarter (The E.W. Scripps Company)

Molly Miossi (The E.W. Scripps Company)

Tammy Riddle (Scripps National Spelling Bee)

Amanda Boyd Walters ( Cincinnati Magazine )

art director

Emi Villavicencio ( Cincinnati Magazine )

reporters

Amy Blakely, Tyler Hyde, Becca McCarter, Molly Miossi, Michael Perry

photographers

Mark Bowen, Hartong Digital Media, Craig Hudson, E.M. Pio Roda

production director

Vu Luong ( Cincinnati Magazine )

operations director

Missy Beiting ( Cincinnati Magazine ) business coordinator

Erica Birkle ( Cincinnati Magazine )

312 Walnut St., 28 th floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202 www.spellingbee.com

DREAM COME TRUE

When she was 3, Amiah Van Hill was watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee in her home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “I want to go there someday,” she told her mom, Rachel. Well, Amiah is going there. The 13-year-old eighth grader from Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy advanced to the national competition by winning the regional sponsored by the Idaho Character Foundation at North Idaho College in February. “Amiah was just a 3-year-old when she wanted to eat dinner in front of the TV so she wouldn’t miss watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee,” Rachel says. “It was at that moment when she stated that her dream was to someday make it to that national stage. Ten years later, her dream came true. Amiah never took her eye off her goal.”

the buzz

Gender

spellers by the numbers

We’re usually all about the letters, but here’s a little math about the 245 spellers competing in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

103 Female spellers

141 Male spellers

1 Prefer not to answer

Spelling in Their Blood

24 spellers have relatives who have participated in a combined 40 Scripps National Spelling Bees.

Spell-peaters

Coming into this year, 65 spellers have previously competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

2024 bee week schedule

S U N D A Y , M A Y 2 6

SUNDAY, MAY 26

speller registration Hall of Champions –Maryland Foyer 2 to 5 p.m.

rule the word challenge Hall of Champions –Maryland Foyer

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

rounds one and two by speller number:

Spellers 1 through 68

8 to 9:50 a.m.

Spellers 69 through 128

10 to 11:40 a.m.

Spellers 129 through 166

11:50 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Spellers 167 through 245

Thursday, May 30 May 30 old town trolley tour

Trolley ride from the Gaylord into Washington, D.C., and back

This is a ticketed event. Check your ticket for times.

finals

Maryland Ballroom

8 to 10 p.m.

Onstage remarks begin at 7 p.m.

M O N D A Y , M A Y 2 7

MONDAY, MAY 27

memorial day picnic

Bus transfer from the Gaylord to Audi Field and back 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This is a ticketed event.

opening ceremony

Maryland Ballroom

7 to 8:15 p.m.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

2 to 4:10 p.m.

preliminaries (round three)

Maryland Ballroom

4:20 to 7:40 p.m.

Streamed live on ION Plus and spellingbee.com

W e d n e s d a y , M a y 2 9 Wednesday, May 29 quarterfinals

Maryland Ballroom

Broadcast live on ION

Friday, May 31 May 31 old town trolley tour

Trolley ride from the Gaylord into Washington, D.C., and back

This is a ticketed event. Check your ticket for times.

bee week bash

Maryland Ballroom

7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

T U E S D A Y , M A Y 2 8

TUESDAY, MAY 28

preliminaries (rounds one and two)

Maryland Ballroom

8 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.

Streamed live on ION Plus and spellingbee.com

Each speller will compete in up to two of the preliminaries. See the Contest Rules of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee for detailed format information: spellingbee.com/rules

8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Streamed live on ION Plus and spellingbee.com

semifinals

Maryland Ballroom

2:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Onstage remarks begin at 2:15 p.m.

Streamed live on ION Plus and spellingbee.com

will air from 8 to 10 p.m. on ION.

Englishing the World: How the Renaissance Shaped the First English Dictionary

Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large, Merriam-Webster

Maryland Ballroom

7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This is a ticketed event.

help desk hours

Providing information and assistance to spellers and Bee Week attendees Hall of Champions – Maryland Foyer

Sunday, May 26

2 to 7 p.m.

Monday, May 27

8 to 11 a.m.

4 to 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 28

7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 29

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 30

9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Friday, May 31

9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Questions? Call (513) 713-9156.

media desk hours

Providing information and assistance to media members Hall of Champions –Maryland Foyer

Tuesday, May 28

7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, May 29

7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, May 30

5:30 to 10 p.m.

media contacts

Becca McCarter

Rebecca.mccarter@scripps.com (513) 410-2425

Michael Perry Michael.perry@scripps.com (513) 259-4718

You can reach the Media Desk at (513) 713-9151. Questions and requests can also be sent to media@spellingbee.com.

take note

Here’s a look at some of the competitors in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

RETURNINGFINALISTS

THEFIELD THEVETERANS

Shradha

THE yOUNGEST

Sanil Thorat

THE OLDEST

Ryan Frazee (speller 165) is the lone 15-year-old. He is an eighth grader from Wheelersburg (Ohio) Middle School. There are 69 spellers who are 14. The biggest age group this year is the 13-year-

LONG DISTANCE

Alleena Villaluz (speller 55) representing Hagåtña, Guam, is traveling the farthest for this week’s competition (7,900+ miles). Other spellers are coming from Canada, the Bahamas, Germany, Ghana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, not to mention Alaska and Hawaii. There are 12 national competitors from outside the 50 United States.

U.S. COVERAGE

Again, there are spellers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Texas has the largest representation with 20 national competitors. California and Ohio are next with 17 each, followed by Florida, Illinois and New York with 13 each.

THE TRIPLET

Alejandro Martinez (speller 214), a 13-year-old from Laredo, Texas, is a triplet with one brother and one sister. We have six spellers who are twins: Aliyah Alpert (speller 4) from Phoenix; Avi Randhawa (speller 19) from Riverside, California; Achyut Ethiraj (speller 73) from Fort Wayne, Indiana; Connor Norton (speller 196) from Florence, South Carolina; Andy Lau (speller 198) from Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Faizan Zaki (speller 207) from Dallas.

MILITARY CHILDREN

David Heyman (speller 122) is from Columbus, Mississippi. His father the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Elden Wier (speller 3) is from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. His dad joined the U.S. Air Force when he was 4. Canadian-born Benjamin Grice (speller 36) lives on a military base in Germany. For more on Grice, see page 34. Ryan Ferguson Enzo Astorga (speller 174) from Marietta, Ohio, is on active duty in the U.S. Navy.

get to know the spellers

Because they answered our questions, you will learn a lot about them.

Do you have any superstitions?

“The day of my school spelling bee in third

After the spelling bee was over, I decided not to uncross them so that nothing bad

Juliette Anderson (speller 140), Santa Fe, New Mexico

“My favorite number is seven, and my

district bee, I was the third speller, which Cate Angle (speller 194), Daniel Island, South Carolina

“Not a superstition, but I do a small prayer

Anna Korneeva (speller 147), Brooklyn, New York

Scott Tingle (speller 126), Senath, Missouri

What is your favorite word?

Elijah Elledge (speller 116), North Mankato, Minnesota

Do you have any superstitions?

“My superstition is wearing my two lucky pins to every spelling

Camila Sanchez Izquierdo (speller 40), Miami

Hendrix Feld (speller 64), Freeport, Illinois

Sanil Thorat (speller 91), Shreveport, Louisiana

“Incandescent is my favorite word because it was my winning spelling bee word in fourth that got me interested in continuing my

Katelyn Nguyen (speller 16), Huntington Beach, California

What famous person would you like to have dinner with?

I would love to hear about his writing

Chase Camuti (speller 97), Walkersville, Maryland

“Gordon Ramsey, so he can cook an Nyarah Garver (speller 150), Windham, New York

“There are so many amazing people that I would love to have dinner with, but I’d say the Met brothers (AJR) or Alan

relatable, most genuine guys I’d ever seen, and it would be such an honor to meet

talk about life and music and other things

Victoria McFetridge (speller 35), Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Bezos because then, if I want to start any big Jay Nayak (speller 148), New York

“I would want to have dinner with Taylor Swift because she still does what she loves despite receiving

Shradha Rachamreddy (speller 13), San Jose, California

What’s

your hidden talent?

“I can explain philosophical concepts in an understandable

Aishwarya Kallakuri (speller 154), Concord, North Carolina

“Cubing—solving Rubik’s Cube puzzles and other twisty

Sean Gibbons (speller 71), Elmhurst, Illinois

Benjamin

Grice (speller 36), Selfkant, Germany

“Juggling, baking cookies, speedreading and Mario Emory Jobe (speller 79), Olathe, Kansas

“My hidden talents are rolling my tongue into a taco and being able Alejandro Martinez (speller 214), Laredo, Texas

Elijah Elledge

Shradha Rachamreddy

What’s your favorite food?

“Homemade dumplings because you get to share with family and it brings relatives and friends to have a good time. They go great with chili sauce!”

Yupeng Chen (speller 112), Duluth, Minnesota

“Cheesecake because I like the texture and taste.”

Antony Elgohary (speller 233), Harrisonburg, Virginia

“Meatloaf because it brings back memories of my Pop (grandpa), and it is very good.” David Heyman (speller 122), Columbus, Mississippi

“Pearl meatballs, a Chinese dish that my grandmother makes for me nearly weekly.” Aren Lee (speller 12), Belmont, California

“Bratwurst with spätzle because I have grown up with it and have loved it ever since.” Karissa Measel (speller 109), Stevensville, Michigan

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

“Lord Garmadon from Lego Ninjago because of his character development throughout the story; he was introduced as an evil villain and now he’s funny and cool.” Ethan Dunlap (speller 160), Spring Lake, North Carolina

“The Roadrunner because he is always one step ahead.”

Rohith Konduri (speller 237), Virginia Beach, Virginia

“Mickey Mouse. He is part of our childhood, and he has a clubhouse that appears when he says the magical words Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse.” Jaynard Quiray (speller 218), Odessa, Texas

“Scooby-Doo. I like that he is a dog and he solves mysteries.” Kai Riedner (speller 113), Excelsior, Minnesota

Who is your role model?

“Albert Einstein because he was really smart.” Vihaan Jagadeesh (speller 33), Lewes, Delaware

“Chef Garima Arora, a true trailblazer.

Michelin Star, not only once, but twice!”

Ananya Joshi (speller 66), Roscoe, Illinois

“My parents because they are kind, optimistic, perseverant and have a good sense of humor.” Adi Jagan Mohan (speller 135), Somerset, New Jersey

“Napoleon Bonaparte because throughout his lifetime he lived a life of determination and never gave up despite the severity of his situations.” Aiden Pham (speller 88), Lafayette, Louisiana

“Roger Federer. He’s cool.” YY Liang (speller 145), Hartsdale, New York

What is your favorite movie?

“Ferris Bueller’s Cooper Edwards (speller 30), Niwot, Colorado

“I love Soul because it is centered around music, and music is my spark.” Azariah Green (speller 121), Hernando, Mississippi

“Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Though I like both, the second one is funnier, and it added characters from the original Sonic franchise. I also like how Tails, Sonic and Knuckles team up together in the end to beat Eggman.” Arshan Shahriar (speller 28), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“Little Rascals.” Jordin Oremosu (speller 48), Land O’ Lakes, Florida

Who

is your favorite

cartoon character?

“Gary the snail from SpongeBob SquarePants because he is very chill, and I respect that.”

Sariah Titus (speller 203), Abilene, Texas

“The Minion and Despicable Me movies. Because they make me laugh.” Jacob Warner (speller 114), Fergus Falls, Minnesota

Who is your favorite athlete?

“Facundo Torres of Orlando City Soccer Club because when I play FIFA, he’s the one that gets the goals. He’s fun to watch in real life, too.” Jake Bailey (speller 69), Clinton, Iowa

“Carlos Alcaraz. He is an amazing athlete and ballerina on the tennis court.” Amara Chepuri (speller 46), Lakewood Ranch, Florida

“Yuzuru Hanyu because I’ve loved to

since I was a kid.” Bella Nguyen (speller 133), Las Vegas, Nevada

“LeBron James.” Bruhat Soma (speller 47), Tampa, Florida

“Patrick Mahomes because he is the center of his team, and he’s the quarterback of my favorite team.” Ara Swiatlowski (speller 108), Scottville, Michigan

Aren Lee

Rohith Konduri

Who is your favorite musician?

“JJ Lin. I grew up with his songs. They are literally my childhood. After I started listening to music, Billie Eilish, OneRepublic, Pentatonix and Halsey became favorites, too.” Mina Chen (speller 202), Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

“Ludwig van Beethoven because I am his seventh-generation student.” Ryan Fan (speller 7), Fayetteville, Arkansas

“One hundred percent Taylor Swift because her songs capture a variety of emotions: heartbreak, jealousy, revenge, joy, etc. She is a musical genius, and her songs are insanely well written.”

Tanya Kadaru (speller 210), Keller, Texas

“Lin-Manuel Miranda. I know every word to the song 'Guns and Ships' from Hamilton. It was the greatest thing ever to see him on the Percy Jackson series as Hermes.” Sasha Kenlon (speller 224), Park City, Utah

“Olivia Rodrigo, since she writes relatable angsty songs.” Shreeya Sivakumar (speller 217), Odessa, Texas

What is your favorite place to visit?

“Dubai. It holds lots of fond memories from our family vacation spent there.” Giovanni Adjei (speller 53), Accra, Ghana

“Hogwarts. Wouldn’t you want to learn magic?”

What is your

favorite book?

“Lord of the Rings series. I like it because they’re stories that detail coming back from pain and war and how change isn’t always bad.”

Kavya

Jakasania (speller 137), Jersey City, New Jersey

Hillel Ziskind (speller 186), Cherry Hill, New Jersey

“I love visiting theme parks like Disney because it feels like stepping into a real-life movie. The attention to detail and the immersive environments all make me feel like I’m part of a magical story unfolding before my eyes.” Elvis Avetis (speller 43), Orlando, Florida

“I like to visit Queensland Beach in Nova Scotia because it’s calm and relaxing but also chaotic when the waves are big.” Duncan Grant (speller 27), Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada

“Boston because it is where I was born, and it has a lot of history. It is a very special place to my family.” Nayara de Silva-Ahmed (speller 90), Metairie, Louisiana

What is your favorite book?

“Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters because I love monsters, and there are a lot of them in it.” Joey Constantine (speller 179), Cortland, Ohio

“Harry Potter because of the Hogwarts Express.” Drake Finnicum (speller 175), Bellaire, Ohio

“The Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades.” Michael Tesfaye (speller 215), Lubbock, Texas

“Emma by Jane Austen. This is my favorite because, overall, the storyline is very captivating and interesting to follow with it having several plot twists and interesting characters.” Alleena Villaluz (speller 55), Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Who is your favorite historical figure?

for me because of the contribution he made to science.” Charan Garimella (speller 183), Spring City, Pennsylvania

“Lise Meitner. Although she did not get credit for her

and was overlooked by the Nobel Prize committee many times, she was posthumously honored with an element Leah Rini (speller 151), Plattsburgh, New York

“Napoleon because he was an interesting person.” Andy Lau (speller 198), Gaffney, South Carolina

“Benjamin Franklin. Because he invented so many things, and I think that is cool.” Calvin Pratt (speller 107), Attica, Michigan

“Benjamin Franklin because he was the best of both worlds—adept politician and genius scientist and inventor.” Roberto Villasboas (speller 117), Rochester, Minnesota

Elvis Avetis

Joey Constantine

What’s your favorite candy?

“Skittles because of how it tastes.” Partha Katreddy (speller 78), Bettendorf, Iowa

“I love Heath because of its sweet chocolate and Kendall Mehl (speller 178), Bowling Green, Ohio

“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. They’re the perfect combination of sweet and salty.” Daphne Reno (speller 232), Fredericksburg, Virginia

“I have liked the Milky Way chocolate bar from a young age because it was the best tasting to me of the limited varieties of Halloween candy available to me.” Indigo Satko (speller 185), Blue Bell, Pennsylvania

“M&M’s because they are chocolate, tiny and they crunch. My sisters and I have a jar of M&Ms that we use to count down the days until our dad returns from deployment.” Elden Wier (speller 3), Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska

What’s your favorite school subject?

“Science and math.” Orrin Lam (speller 161), Benson, North Carolina

compared to the rest. It’s a diverse subject, and it has a wide range of concepts that I think are fun to learn about.

biology.” Hi-Tai Lu (speller 87), Baton Rouge, Louisiana

“English because I get to read.” Holland Vogel (speller 119), Lake Wilson, Minnesota

“History because I enjoy learning about all the interesting things that have occurred across history.” Jayden Zheng (speller 204), Amarillo, Texas

What career do you want to pursue?

“I’d like to be in business.” N’Adom Darko-Asare (speller 54), Accra, Ghana

“Film.” Ryan Frazee (speller 165), Portsmouth, Ohio

“Marine biologist.” Ian Gibson (speller 83), Bowling Green, Kentucky

“Building robots and coding them.” Adarsh Venkannagari (speller 101), Acton, Massachusetts

“A game developer or a chemist.” Aanya Shetty (speller 123), Columbia, Missouri

Elden Wier

What is your favorite sport?

“Soccer because I have been playing my entire life, and my dad has always been my team’s coach.”

Quint Karlsson (speller 93), Gambrills, Maryland

“Tennis because it’s a lifelong sport.” Nathan Crabbendam (speller 44), Ocoee, Florida

“Basketball and football because basketball is my favorite to play but football’s my favorite to watch.” Adyson Gifford (speller 103), Clinton Township, Michigan

What’s your favorite school subject?

“Dance because most people do not consider it a sport, but I believe it is a sport. It requires hard work, dedication and teamwork!” Leyla Jacobson (speller 120), St. Cloud, Minnesota

“History is interesting to learn about and can tell us a lot about how our lives should function.”

Garrett

Fry (speller 124), Lee’s Summit, Missouri

“Badminton.” Tarini Nandakumar (speller 205), Round Rock, Texas

What’s your favorite TV show?

“The Amazing World of Gumball, Gravity Falls and Adventure Time.” Joshua Bullen (speller 84), Hopkinsville, Kentucky

“The Great North because Beef reminds me of myself.” Conor Keightley-Reinhardt (speller 99), Crisfield, Maryland

“Shark Tank. I learn about how people

Lucas Lee (speller 221), Port Lavaca, Texas

“SportsCenter. I watch it whenever I wake up in the morning and follow all of my favorite teams and how they are doing. I also love to watch the Not Top Ten!” Micah Sterling (speller 153), Watertown, New York

“Lego Ninjago has been, and probably always will be, my favorite TV series. I’ve been watching it for nine years, and it has some of the best characters I’ve seen in any TV show!” Ibrahim Zaki (speller 25), Ventura, California

Quint Karlsson

bee week wisdom

What should spellers know as they bask in this unique experience? Here are some tips from the Scripps National Spelling Bee class of 2023.

We were thinking about you last June. After the 2023 Bee ended, we immediately surveyed the 230 spellers who participated and asked them to share their advice for future spellers. Themes emerged. Many were similar.

the Bee KeepeR Team Chose 25 tips

fun

• The Bee is not about winning or losing, it is about learning and having fun

• Soak in the experience of Bee Week, make lots of friends and have fun

• Have fun and don’t get too worked up about it. Win or lose, you tried.

• Take it one round at a time, focus on the word and nothing else, but above all, have fun.

• Concentrate on your word, listen carefully to all the information you are given, and have fun with it!

enjoy

• Do your best to prepare, but don’t let it run your life; take time to be a kid and do other things you enjoy!

• Enjoy the journey and focus on learning. Winning will be nice and an added bonus. However, it is the learning journey that matters more.

• Just enjoy your week there, no matter what place you get!

• Do your best to prepare and then once you’re at the Bee, take your time and enjoy all of the experiences and opportunities.

• Enjoy every moment. Be proud of just making it to the learning experience and absorb everything you can.

• Study

• study

• Study

• Study

• study

•

• study parting thoughts

Who You'll See

spellebrity sightings

You may recognize some of these people. Keep your eyes peeled throughout Bee Week, and you are likely to see them around the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Who knows? They may even sign your Bee Keeper.

Dr. Jacques

Bailly Dr. Bailly has been the official pronouncer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2003, and he is also the 1980 national champion. He is an associate professor of classics at the University of Vermont and lives in Burlington, Vermont.

Corrie Loeffler

The executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is a former participant in the national competition. Loeffler has been on the Bee staff for 18 years. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more, go to page 52.

Mary Brooks

Yes, she rings the dreaded bell. Brooks has been a part of the Bee for more than 50 years, joining the panel of judges in 1979 and becoming head judge in 2005. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, where she is a member of the West Des Moines Public Library board of trustees.

JACQUES

CORRIE

Paul Loeffler

Loeffler has been a TV analyst for the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2006. He is also a former Bee national competitor and the older brother of executive director Corrie Loeffler. Loeffler is a radio announcer for Fresno State sports broadcasts.

Dev Shah

Vanya Shivashankar

The 2015 co-champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee graduated in May 2023 from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science. She is from Olathe, Kansas, and will start medical school in the fall. Shivashankar will serve as Bee Week emcee.

The 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion from Largo, Florida, won with the word “psammophile.” He will be going into 10th grade in the fall. For more on his year as champion and all the activity that followed, go to pages 46–47.

DEV

PAUL

VANYA

Who You'll See

Dr. Brian Sietsema Dr. Sietsema has been the associate pronouncer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2003 after serving as pronunciation editor for Merriam-Webster from 1990 to 1998. He is a priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

BRIAN

ZACH

Zach Sherwin

The Los Angeles-based comedian/rapper will be performing for the live audience at Thursday night’s finals and also at the party on Friday night. You can read more about him on page 57.

Adam Symson The president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company will again hand the Scripps Cup to the champion. You can read more about Symson and what reading and words mean to him on page 53.

Peter Sokolowski The MerriamWebster editor-at-large and national spelling bee judge will talk to spellers Wednesday night in the Maryland Ballroom. He will also be present during select times at MerriamWebster’s booth in the Hall of Champions.

spelling bees in film, theater, books

“How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee” ( 2023 ) : Picture book, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Frank Morrison, for ages 7–10. It recounts the story of MacNolia Cox, -

“It’s Not Bragging If It’s True: How to Be Awesome at Life” ( 2023 ) :

25 Years of ‘Spellbound’

“Spelling the Dream” ( 2020 ) : -

“Bad Words” (2013 ):

“Akeelah and the Bee” ( 2006 ) : Movie about 11-year-

“American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds” ( 2006 ):

ed college at the University of Michigan where she her to do research at the Massachusetts Institute of

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ( 2005 ) : launched on Broadway.

“Bee Season” ( 2005 ):

“Spellbound” ( 2002 ) : -

“The Girl Who Spelled Freedom” ( 1986 ) : Disney contender.

Note: List does not include skits or inclusion in shows

THEN AND NOW Nupur Lala in 1999 (left) and today, finishing her neuro-oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

—TYLER HYDE

Common ommon Chord

Pianist

Sarah Fernandes Finds Harmony in Spelling, Performing

By Amy Blakely

Sarah Fernandes enjoys being on the stage, whether it’s to compete in a spelling bee or play the piano. And she’s found great success doing both.

Fernandes, 12, a sixth grader at St. Stephen the Martyr last year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, and she’s back for another try this year after tying for 10th place.

Bee Week means a hiatus from the concerts and contests that have brought her acclaim as a piano prodigy. Sarah has won national and international piano competitions, and she has performed at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in New York and Ganz Hall in Chicago. In 2022, she was featured as a child musical prodigy at Project Harmony’s 25th Anniversary Gala in Omaha. That performance was especially fun, she says, because she got the “star treatment,” including having her own private dressing room and an invitation to the after party.

Sarah has participated in master classes with world-renowned pianists such as Enrico Elisi (the Harold D. and Imogene Herndon Endowed Professor of Music in piano at Texas Christian University), Joseph Rackers (piano professor at the Eastman School of Music), Jason Kwak (Regents’ and University Distinguished Professor of Piano at Texas State University), Marina Lomazov (piano professor at the Eastman), Michelle Cann tute of Music), Alan Chow (professor of piano and chair of the Piano Department at the Eastman), and Meng-Chieh Liu (faculty at the New England Conservatory and the Curtis Institute).

Most recently, Sarah won an audition to represent the Omaha Music Teachers Association at a master class with Grammywinning pianist Emanuel Ax. This past April, she was a guest soloist with the Mainland Symphony Orchestra in Orlando.

Sarah says competitive spelling and playing the piano have a

CENTER STAGE Sarah performs at Carnegie Hall in April 2022.

lot in common. “In both of them, you’re up on a stage in front of a lot of people. It’s the same kind of emotion—excited and just a little bit nervous,” Sarah says. “In both, you are trying to see how well you can do. In spelling, you have to memorize words,” she adds. For piano concerts and contests, “you have to memorize your music, so you don’t have to stare at a piece of music.”

Music-loving family Music-loving

Music has always been a part of the Braganza-Fernandes home. Sarah’s mother, Sharmila Braganza, is a computer engineer but became a stay-at-home mom shortly after having kids. Sarah’s dad, Praveen Fernandes, is a psychiatrist. Braganza and Fernandes are both from India but met and married after coming to the United States to work. Braganza says she always loved listening to music when she was growing up, although as a child in India she never had the opportunity to learn to play an instrument. She wanted Sarah and her older sisters, Rachel, now 18, and Hannah, now 17, to have that chance. Braganza remembers the family going to a showroom to purchase a piano a decade ago. Though she was cautioned “not to touch,” toddler Sarah was on her tiptoes trying to reach and touch the keys. Looking back, Braganza says that should have been a sign that her youngest daughter was destined to make music.

Making of a child prodigy of a

child prodigy

Once her older sisters began taking piano lessons, it wasn’t long before little Sarah started climbing up on the piano bench to give it a try, too.

“I remember playing little pieces of my sisters’ songs,” Sarah says. “I would just hear the songs in my head and try to recreate

one of her sisters’ practice pieces. She says her daughter has perfect pitch and, from the start, would compose little tunes. “They would make sense, and they were beautiful,” Braganza says.

Fernandes began taking piano lessons at age 4. Today, she takes hour-long weekly virtual lessons with Washington Garcia, dean of the School of Music at Stetson University in Florida. The two met when he was the founding Director of the School of Music at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

“In my years of teaching, few students have left as deep a mark as Sarah,” Garcia says. “Not only does she stand in the top 1 percent of all the students I have had the privilege to instruct in my entire career ... but her commitment to mastering the piano also speaks highly about her pursuit of excellence. Sarah’s natural musicality and her disciplined approach to practice set her apart as a true prodigy. Her ability to interpret complex works

PIANO GIRL (Below) Sarah plays a concerto with a professional orchestra at the Ganz Hall in Chicago in January 2023. (Opposite page, top to bottom) Sarah is with Dr. Washington Garcia, her piano teacher, visiting from Florida, at Project Harmony's 25th Anniversary Gala celebration at Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha in October 2022. Sarah is with Grammy Awardwinning pianist Emanuel Ax at the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha in September 2023. Sarah won an audition to earn the masterclass with Ax, who was performing at the Holland that evening. Sarah advanced to the finals of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee and finished tied for 10th place overall.

“In my years of teaching, few students have left as deep a mark as Sarah. Not only does she stand in the top 1 percent of all the students I have had the privilege to instruct in my entire career ... but her commitment to mastering the piano also speaks highly about her pursuit of excellence.”

with technical precision and deep emotional resonance predicts a bright future for her.”

Juggling school, homework, spelling study and her other interests, Fernandes tries to practice piano two to four hours a day. Her favorite piece is “The Lark,” based on a popular Russian song of the Romantic era. The simple core melody, composed by Mikhail Glinka, forms the basis of this intricate piece by Mili Balakirev.

Sarah still likes to improvise, too. “Sometimes I get on the piano, and I think about what would sound really beautiful,” she says. Occasionally she writes these melodies down, “but usually I just keep them in my brain.”

For Sarah, playing the piano is much more than a hobby. “I want to be a famous pianist,” she says. “I want to travel around the world sharing my music with as many people as I can.”

’

‘

In music, I can relax more

In music, I can relax more’

While there are similarities between competing in a spelling

Sarah says. “I get just a little more nervous” at spelling bees, she says. In spelling, you are either right or wrong. “Music is more about what you feel. In music, I can relax more.”

At a concert or piano competition, Sarah eases her jitters by “trying to imagine what the audience will be thinking about when they listen to songs.”

In a spelling bee, “I like to take a deep breath and focus on the word” and then ask questions to get clues about the spelling.

Sarah watched her older sister, Hannah, compete in the national competition in 2017 and 2021. And having competed herself in 2023, Sarah says she’s less apprehensive about this year’s bee. “I know what to expect,” she says. “I had a great time last year. It was a lot of fun being on that stage. I’m excited about this year. I’m hoping it will be an amazing experience again.”

You can learn more about Sarah and hear her play piano on her website www.sarahgfernandes.com or by searching @sarahfernandespiano on YouTube.

‘Is a Significant

Element

of Who He Is’

ean Gibbons is a boy of many talents: He loves video games. He’s worked a 3x3 Rubik’s Cube in 40 seconds. He’s fascinated with the periodic table and enjoys solving tough math problems. He can cite obscure facts about

And, of course, he’s a spelling whiz.

A 13-year-old eighth grader at Bryan Middle School in Elmhurst, Illinois, Sean won the DuPage Regional Spelling Bee to earn his seat in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee. Despite his fascination with words, his remarkable memory and his unmistakably high intelligence, competing in the Bee poses a special challenge for Sean.

than most people’s brains.

Unique, but Not

By Amy Blakely

spectrum; in fact, there have been several. Among those: Evan O’Dorney, the 2007 champion.

30, says his parents were told early on that he was “profoundly gifted” but exhibited classic signs of autism. He was doing calculus at age 10. He was fascinated by words and language. And, as a young child, he enjoyed reading from the dictionary as a bedtime story.

Over the years, he’s been able to dramatically improve his social skills. O’Dorney, who has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from Princeton University, is now a negie Mellon University.

WHIZ KID (Right) Sean Gibbons, center, with his teammates and teacher/coach Heather Bolur, left, at the Illinois State Mathcounts competition in March. (Opposite page) Sean peruses the dictionary at 2 1/2 years old (top); competing at the DuPage Regional Spelling Bee (bottom).

Sharing to Help Others

Sean, along with his parents—Regina, a classroom aide and substitute teacher, and Ryan, a corporate tax director for a large insurance company—decided they wanted to share their journey in hopes it might be helpful to others.

element of who he is, and it isn’t something to shy away from,” Ryan Gibbons says. “We also recognized that we had an opportunity to share a great success that might be helpful or inspiring for other neurodiverse kids and their parents to hear. Parenting

The Gibbonses said they realized early on that there was through the dictionary. He would sing the alphabet over and over. He liked to keep his toys in a neat line. And at the park, he preferred to run in circles rather than play on the equipment. He could draw a perfectly straight line without a ruler. Sean was diagnosed as autistic in preschool and attended smooth. Sean struggled with anxiety and other developmen -

“Sean has long wanted to do things his way, not the way everyone else does them,” Ryan Gibbons says.

Sean was placed in a special program for kids with autism. He spent his third and fourth grades there and began learning how to modify his behavior. “He had a lot of teachers and therapists who worked to improve things,” Ryan Gibbons says. “When other kids his age were playing, Sean was working on his issues. I’ve always been really proud of Sean to achieve what he has. He’s worked hard.”

Though he disliked online classes during the pandemic, he’s enjoyed school since in-person classes resumed. “My favorite thing about school is we get to see each other,” Sean says, referring to his classmates and his teachers.

A Headful of Words

Sean excels in many subjects, including math, science and spelling. He is on his school’s math team and was one of four students chosen to represent his school at a recent Illinois state tourthem,” Sean says.

Sean is also fascinated with the periodic table. His parents say that once, seeking to amuse himself when he got bored during his younger brother’s scouting event, Sean found a whiteboard and drew the periodic table—complete with each element’s atomic number and weight—from memory.

Sean has also always loved words. For many years, he asked for a new dictionary for his birthday. “He’s spent many hours paging through dictionaries,” Ryan Gibbons says. “He’s got a headful of words.”

Sean won his regional bee on the word “ossuary,” which refers to a container or room that holds the bones of dead people. He didn’t remember studying the word, so “I basically asked the spelling.”

For the national competition, Sean has studied from the dictionary with his mom and dad serving as his coaches. “Spelling runs in the family,” Regina Gibbons says. She won her town -

ond grader. “I’m the only one who hasn’t won a school spelling bee,” Ryan Gibbons notes with a laugh.

Sean says his goal is to make it as far as he can in the national -

matter what happens, they say their goal is to do what they do every day: “Try to help Sean be his best.”

Five things you might not know about the production of the Bee

BY DAVID HUDSON

Head of Original Programming for Scripps Networks and Executive Producer

of the Bee

You can’t spell

CHAMPION

without

In October 2021, The E.W. Scripps Company announced that the Scripps National Spelling Bee would have a new television home: ION, a national network acquired by the company in January 2021 and the No. 5 most-watched entertainment network in primetime.

Bee aired sporadically on various networks from PBS to CNN before spending 27 years on ESPN platforms.

Taking over the broadcast was a major undertaking. I thought it might be interesting to take you behind the scenes and share some of what goes into televising the event. So, as executive producer of the Bee, I talked to the Bee Keeper team.

???

HOW LONG DOES PLANNING TAKE?

Specific planning for each year’s production begins primarily in October, so seven to eight months out. Various divisions from Scripps Networks begin meeting bi-monthly starting in January with some groups meeting weekly or bi-weekly. Scripps must secure contracts with outside help, such as directors, producers, engineers and other support staff. (More on that later.)

Planning doesn’t really have a starting and stopping point. It’s year-round, and in some cases, we’re looking ahead several years. For example, the Bee has been working on ideas for the celebration of its 100th anniversary (in 2025) since 2022.

We are always thinking about how to better the experience for participants, their families and the millions of viewers that watch the Bee every year. After each Bee Week, we evaluate what worked and didn’t work and solicit new ideas. They are all discussed and considered as we plan for the next year.

After 2022, we re-evaluated the role of a host, the idea of backstage interviews after spellers were eliminated, the number and timing of breaks during the competition, and so much more. that led to changes in 2023.

???

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN THE TELEVISION PRODUCTION?

During the planning stages, more than 100 people are involved, the majority of which work for Scripps Networks. There are several key independent contractors who are focused on the physical production of the show. These are people mostly behind the scenes who play important roles in the broadcast.

We feel we have the best of the best. David Bryant is a veteran supervising producer, and Bill Urban is the executive in charge of production who oversees the television production for all of Bee Week. We have Emmy award–winning director Michael Dempsey and his exceptional crew that capture every magical moment of competition.

Story producer/director Nancy Saslow and her team of award-winning producers are in charge of telling the spellthrough 20 hours of competition. Saslow, in fact, has gone to spellers’ homes leading up to the competition to conduct interviews for promotional and broadcast purposes.

“It’s incredible and very special to interact with the kids and their families behind the scenes,” Saslow says. “To experience the Bee with them, as well as with this large and talented group of colleagues is a blast. It’s like we all get to run away and join the circus for a week.”

During Bee Week, there are more than 200 people involved in the production, including volunteers and television crew members. Michelle Robinson’s responsibility includes managing every second of the televised production for the Bee broadcast. James Stevens is our expressions operator, responsible for all the graphics presented, including the words that are being spelled, their meaning and everything you see in written form on the television screen.

ACTION! Emmy-award winning director Michael Dempsey in the control room.

???

HOW IS THE SET BUILT OUT?

Planning for the Bee set is a constant endeavor as we always are looking to add something new and exciting. For the 2023 competition, we redesigned the host set with an updated look that was more modern and functional for the competition’s broad-

guests. It’s in the back of the ballroom.

Last year, the set arrived with the iconic Bee stage Friday morning prior to Bee Week. Some 30 crew members worked on clearing the room, hanging pipe for the lighting and drapes, and constructing the set. In 2023, because of new branding for the Bee, the new giant logo had to be created and hung in place above the stage.

All this was done before the television crew (70 people) and its equipment arrived Saturday morning when the television buildout began.

Video and audio trucks were set up, generators put in place, a quarter mile of cable run, cameras and lights positioned and everything was tested in preparation for the Opening Ceremony and subsequent days of competition.

???

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WATCHING ON TV AND BEING IN THE ROOM?

It’s important to note there is a challenge in balancing the in-person experience vs. the TV viewer experience. What works for television doesn’t always work for the integrity of the Bee

experience. How do you capture the moments so they are as compelling as if you were there? Producers want viewers captivated but not at the expense of the integrity of the competition nor the experience of the participants and their families.

As for the spellers, they ranged from 9 to 14 years old last

at a high level and on national television.

We want to provide a good experience in the face of the pressure of the competition. Scripps, organizers of the Bee, the executive team within Scripps Network and organizers of the television production take this mission seriously and work closely to ensure a positive experience that will impact the spellers throughout their lives.

TV show in 2023, and onsite in the ballroom we used more music and even had a comedian/rapper entertaining the audience. (Zach Sherwin will be back in 2024, too. See page 57 for more television viewers and those in attendance.

???

HOW HAS THE AUDIENCE GROWN SINCE MOVING TO ION?

In 2022, viewership was up 147% from the previous year with

SET THE SCENE (Above) The crew transforms the Maryland Ballroom in the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center into the Bee's home for the week. (Right) Analyst Paul Loeffler interviews actress Yvette Nicole Brown from the Maryland Ballroom.

3.1 million viewers—the highest audience ever for the semis.

its largest audience since 2012—6.1 million viewers.

SPELLING BEE PROGRAMS

Reach reflects the unduplicated number of viewers (ages 2 and up) that saw at least one minute of the program.

Individual programs total more than all programs added up because some viewers watched multiple Bee programs.

Reach in 2022 reflects viewership across four Scripps networks (ION, Bounce, LAFF and TrueReal). Reach in 2023 reflects six Scripps networks (ION, Bounce, Defy TV, Grit, Laff and ION Mystery).

Source: Nielsen, Live+SameDay.

WHO’S THAT GIRL?

It was this photo posted by Brian Throckmorton, middle, that prompted Amy Blakely, right, to find her spelling bee classmates. Richard Spontak is at left.

Long Lost Friends Long Lost Friends Long Lost Friends

Nearly 50 years later, a ’75 Bee contestant is on a quest to find her fellow spellers.

By Amy Blakely

“I wonder what happened to all of those kids who were in the National Spelling Bee with you?”

It all began with that simple question.

About four years ago, soon after retiring from my career in newspaper journalism and college public relations, I stumbled upon a Facebook group for former National Spelling Bee spellers. I lost myself scrolling through the posts until—gasp!—I saw a photo of my 14-year-old self standing with two boys at the 48th Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee in 1975.

One of the boys, Brian Throckmorton (now a research editor for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission) had posted the photo. In it, he and another speller, Richard Spontak (now a Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University), were signing each other’s autograph books.

Throckmorton’s post referred to me as “a girl whose name I can’t remember.”

memorable, I quickly replied, “I’m that girl.”

mom. Marveling at it, she asked the question already on both of our minds. “I don’t know what happened to all of those kids,” I

Transformational experience

All hyperbole aside, the National Spelling Bee was a life-changing experience for me.

I grew up in Centralia, a small town in southern Illinois. I am an only child, and my father passed away when I was 8.

I was a good student, quiet and well-behaved. I played clarinet in the band and helped produce a school newspaper. I was active in my church youth group and had lots of hobbies.

Despite all I had going for me, I wasn’t part of the “in-crowd.”

Meanwhile, my mom was busy working as a special education teacher, raising me and maintaining our home. She had a

When I won the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regional bee, we D.C. I had never been on an airplane before; my mom hadn’t -

Bee on our own?

Very well, thank you.

Even though I made it only halfway through the competitioning, even liberating.

Overall, my fellow contestants were a lot like me— high-achieving, serious-but-fun-loving kids. We were cool, but we didn’t know it. We enjoyed the parties and sightseeing trips. We got to mingle with Will Geer, who played Grandpa Walton on the popular ’70s TV show, “The Waltons,” who was there to make a TV special about the bee.

A group of us bought “Virginia is for Lovers” T-shirts to wear

room for a makeshift farewell party after the awards banquet not

Big anniversary looms

Using reporter skills

Amy Blakely has been writing for the Bee Keeper magazine since 2022. If you are inspired to help track down your spelling bee classmates, please visit spellingbee.com/alumni to let us know.

LASTING MEMORIES Left, a New York Daily News clipping shows spellers Peter Francis, with the sign, Lisa Weinstock, left, Christine Polisciano, back middle, and Craig Kamins, right, at LaGuardia Airport. Center, Amy Blakely with fellow contestant Bill Cota in 2021. Right, Amy Blakely (with braids) with fellow spellers in their "Virginia is for lovers" shirts.

By Tyler Hyde and Michael Perry

come from Three spellers talk about their unique stories.

Nine-year-old Benjamin Grice has lived in Germany for two years. Before that, his family called Latvia, one of the Baltic countries in Northern Europe, their home. Before that, he lived everywhere from Halifax to Ottawa in his home country of Canada. In fact, winning the European PTSA spelling bee will give him the opportunity to of America.

Benjamin is part of a military family. “Being the kid of a parent in the military has given me a chance are unique,” he says.

One of the best things about Selfkant, the German city where he currently lives, is its proximity to both the Netherlands and Belgium. “I go to school in the Netherlands, and we might go to lunch in Belgium. There are so many languages and things to see and do.”

Germany

Afnorth International School has over 900 students, ages 3 to 18. Of the 24 kids in his class, most are Canadian, though he also has classmates from Romania, Poland, Norway and Czechia. Benjamin’s school bus picks him up at the military base

small German town near his home.

Benjamin likes to play soccer (“fussball, as they call it here”), and he’s known at his school for his skills at folding origami and solving Rubik’s Cubes. He also plays basketball, volleyball and touch rugby.

Some of the unique aspects of living in Germany are the festivals (“Germany has a lot of Christmas markets in the winter and they are fun to go to”) and the food (“I like big fresh pretzels and sometimes schnitzel”). Being located on the border with the Netherlands and Belgium means he gets to try their foods, Kibbeling and Belgian choco-

WILLKOMMEN Left, Benjamin, with mom Kelly, younger brother Harrison and dad Sergio at Mont-Saint-Michel during a camping trip to Normandy, France. Right, Benjamin holds up his trophy and certificate after winning the European PTSA regional spelling bee.

where I live.”

When asked about the biggest advantage of his life in Germany, Benjamin shares that he believes it is “getting to know people from so many cultural backgrounds” and “learning about

in his nine years. When Benjamin travels for Bee Week, the to see Washington. My little brother borrowed a book from the library so we could learn more about the city.”

away

Seventh-grader Alleena Villaluz, 13, lives in Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands with a population of roughly 51,000. Villaluz earned a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee by winning the Guam regional. Guam, a U.S. territory, is an island roughly 133 miles (by air) from Saipan.

“Saipan is truly a very unique island to live in,” Alleena shares. “What I feel makes Saipan unique is its culture. Saipan’s culture, also called Chamorro culture, originates from Japan,

gather; novenas, or gatherings to pray; and traditional dancing.”

Alleena enjoys the diverse population of the island and experiencing different cultures, including the Philippines, Korea, China and Saipan itself. She says she believes it gives Saipan residents “a better understanding of other cultures, which you can’t really accomplish living anywhere else .”

Her daily life, she says, is “fairly normal for a kid similar to my age.” Her mother drives her by car every morning to her school of about 300 students (kindergarten through 12th grade). Her classes include English, Mandarin, World History, Math, Drama, Composition and Science. Her seventh-grade class has 20 students.

After school, she takes an additional math class, then attends

Saipan

The majority of the spellers competing in this year’s national competition will journey from across the country to join together in the Washington, D.C., area. Many will travel by airplane, some by train and a few will pack up the car and drive to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

Some, however, will have no choice but to fly. (It would take an impossibly long bridge to drive from Saipan!) We talked with three spellers who live outside of the United States to learn more about their lives and what makes them unique.

HÅFA ADAI Top, Alleena with her brother Arthur, mom Roxanne and dog Potato. Right, Alleena is closing in on a black belt in tae kwon do. Lower left, Alleena after winning the Rotary Club of Guam Regional.

an hour-long tae kwon do lesson. She is one level away from black belt. She is also part of her school’s math club, Model United Nations club, and speech and debate club, with which she will compete nationally this summer.

“There are numerous outdoor activities unique to Saipan, including boat riding, hiking, diving and exploring outdoors,” Alleena says. “In Saipan, you can take boat rides to the small neighboring island of Managaha, a fantastic destination for swimming and diving. There are also several other swimming and diving areas, including Micro Beach and the Grotto. Aside from ocean activities, Saipan also is home to hiking trails, some of which include trails to the Forbidden Island and the Old Man by the Sea.”

She also mentioned unique foods, including escabeche, a dish apigigi, a dish of grilled coconut wrapped in banana leaves; and chicken kelaguen, a dish of cubed grilled chicken combined with shredded coconut, lemon and various spices. Her favorite Chamorro food is buñuelos aga,

“My life in Saipan is very fun and exciting,” she said. “Saipan has so many activities and opportunities that are scarcely available anywhere else in the world.”

and

Ten-year-old Giovanni Adjei is proud to be from Ghana, a West African country with a rich cultural history. “Cultur-

and Giovanni and his family celebrate it to remember the past

meal called Kpokpoi

family members who may have travelled or relocated visit home

Ghana

he plays football with his soccer academy and attends class for gari fortor, made kenkey, made from corn meal and weather, Giovanni believes Ghana is “one of the best places to

MIIFALA BO Right, Giovanni Adjei kisses his trophy after winning the Young Educators Foundation Regional in Accra, Ghana. Below left, Giovanni with his parents

siblings in March 2023. Below right, Giovanni and his brother petting a monkey at the Ada Island Zoo in December 2022.

Calling all alumni! Did you know the first National Spelling Bee took place on June 17, 1925, in Washington, D.C.? Next year, the Bee will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and we want you to be part of the centennial celebration.

Join the Bee’s alumni group to stay connected to all the buzz. You could even submit your own photos or stories for inclusion in special opportunities leading up to the anniversary.

Visit spellingbee.com/alumni to join the celebration!

This puzzle is provided courtesy of a valued partner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Explore more Hidden Pictures like this one from brainPLAY magazine at highlights.com/ BeeBrainy.

BY CHANDI DEITMER

on page 45

champions and their winning words

1925

gladiolus

Frank Neuhauser

Louisville Courier-Journal

Louisville, Kentucky

1926 cerise Pauline Bell

Louisville Courier-Journal

Louisville, Kentucky

1927

abrogate

Dean Lucas

Akron Beacon Journal

Akron, Ohio

1928

knack

Betty Robinson

South Bend News-Times

South Bend, Indiana

1929

luxuriance

Virginia Hogan

The Omaha World-Herald

Omaha, Nebraska

1930

albumen

Helen Jensen

Des Moines Register & Tribune

Des Moines, Iowa 1931 foulard

Ward Randall White Hall RegisterRepublican White Hall, Illinois

Dorothy Greenwalk

Des Moines Register & Tribune

Des Moines, Iowa 1933 torsion

Alma Roach

Akron Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio

Waneeta Beckley

Wilson

Portland Evening Press

Portland, Maine

Clara Mohler Akron Beacon Journal

Akron, Ohio

1953

soubrette

Elizabeth Hess Arizona Republic

Phoenix, Arizona

Des Moines Register & Tribune

Louisville Courier-Journal

Louisville, Kentucky 1938 sanitarium

Marian Richardson

Louisville Times

Louisville, Kentucky 1939 canonical

Elizabeth Ann Rice

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Worcester, Massachusetts 1940 therapy Laurel Kuykendall The Knoxville News Sentinel

Knoxville, Tennessee 1941 initials

Louis Edward Sissman

Detroit News

Des Moines, Iowa 1937 promiscuous

Detroit, Michigan 1942

sacrilegious

Richard Earnhart El Paso Herald-Post El Paso, Texas

1949

dulcimer

Kim Calvin Canton Repository Canton, Ohio 1950

meticulosity

Colquitt Dean

John McKinney

Des Moines Register & Tribune

Des Moines, Iowa

Atlanta Journal Atlanta, Georgia

Diana Reynard Cleveland Press Cleveland, Ohio

first winner

Frank Neuhauser was 11 when he won the first Bee. His prizes? A stack of gold coins worth $500 and a visit with President Calvin Coolidge.

chlorophyll Mattie Lou Pollard

Atlanta Journal Atlanta, Georgia 1948 psychiatry Jean Chappelear

Akron Beacon Journal

Akron, Ohio

1951 insouciant

Irving Belz

Memphis Press Scimitar Memphis, Tennessee

1952 vignette Doris Ann Hall

Winston-Salem Journal

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

1954 transept

William Cashore

Norristown Times Herald

Norristown, Pennsylvania

1955

crustaceology

Sandra Sloss

St. Louis Globe-Democrat

St. Louis, Missouri

1956 condominium

Melody Sachko

The Pittsburgh Press Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1957 schappe

Sandra Owen Canton Repository Canton, Ohio

Dana Bennett

Rocky Mountain News

Denver, Colorado

1958

syllepsis Jolitta Schlehuber

Topeka Daily Capital

Topeka, Kansas

1959

catamaran

Joel Montgomery

Rocky Mountain News

Denver, Colorado

1960 eudaemonic

Henry Feldman

The Knoxville News Sentinel

Knoxville, Tennessee

1961 smaragdine

John Capeheart

Tulsa Tribune

Tulsa, Oklahoma

1962

esquamulose

Nettie

Crawford

El Paso Herald-Post

El Paso, Texas

Michael Day

St. Louis Globe-Democrat

St. Louis, Missouri

1963

equipage

Glen Van Slyke III

The Knoxville News Sentinel

Knoxville, Tennessee

1964

sycophant

William Kerek

Akron Beacon Journal

Akron, Ohio

1965

eczema

Michael Kerpan, Jr.

Tulsa Tribune

Tulsa, Oklahoma

1966 ratoon

Robert A. Wake

Houston Chronicle

Houston, Texas

1967

Chihuahua

Jennifer Reinke

The Omaha World-Herald

Omaha, Nebraska

1968 abalone

Robert L. Walters

The Topeka Daily Capital

Topeka, Kansas

1969

interlocutory

Susan Yoachum

Dallas Morning News

Dallas, Texas

1970

croissant

Libby Childress Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

1971

shalloon

Jonathan Knisely

Philadelphia Bulletin

1972

macerate

Robin Kral

Lubbock AvalancheJournal

Lubbock, Texas

1977

cambist

John Paola

The Pittsburgh Press

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

the trophy

The Scripps Cup, the Bee’s championship trophy, is designed by Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1973

vouchsafe

Barrie Trinkle

Forth Worth Press

Fort Worth, Texas

1974

hydrophyte

Julie Anne Junkin

Birmingham Post-Herald

Birmingham, Alabama

1975

incisor

Hugh Tosteson García

San Juan Star

San Juan, Puerto Rico

1976

narcolepsy

Tim Kneale

Syracuse Herald JournalAmerican

Syracuse, New York

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1978

deification

Peg McCarthy

The Topeka Daily Capital

Topeka, Kansas

1979

maculature

Katie Kerwin

Rocky Mountain News

Denver, Colorado

1980 elucubrate

Jacques Bailly

Rocky Mountain News

Denver, Colorado

1981 sarcophagus

Paige Pipkin

El Paso

Herald-Post

El Paso, Texas

1982

psoriasis

Molly Dieveney

Rocky Mountain News

Denver, Colorado

1983

Purim

Blake Giddens

El Paso

Herald-Post

El Paso, Texas

1984

luge

Daniel Greenblatt

Loudoun TimesMirror

Leesburg, Virginia

1985

milieu

Balu Natarajan

Chicago Tribune

Chicago, Illinois

1986 odontalgia

Jon Pennington

The Patriot News

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

1987

staphylococci

Stephanie Petit

The Pittsburgh Press

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1988

elegiacal

Rageshree

Ramachandran

The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento, California

1989

spoliator

Scott Isaacs

Rocky Mountain News

Denver, Colorado

1990

fibranne

Amy Marie Dimak

The Seattle Times

Seattle, Washington

1991 antipyretic

Joanna Lagatta

The Wisconsin State Journal

Madison, Wisconsin

1992 lyceum

Amanda Goad

The Richmond News Leader

Richmond, Virginia

1993 kamikaze

The Commercial Appeal

Memphis, Tennessee

1994 antediluvian

Ned G. Andrews

The Knoxville News Sentinel

Knoxville, Tennessee

1995

xanthosis

Justin Tyler

Carroll

The Commercial Appeal

Memphis, Tennessee

1996

vivisepulture

Wendy Guey

The Palm Beach Post

West Palm Beach, Florida

1997

euonym Rebecca Sealfon

Daily News

New York, New York

1998 chiaroscurist

Jody-Anne Maxwell

Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers

Kingston, Jamaica

1999 logorrhea

Nupur Lala

The Tampa Tribune

Tampa, Florida

2000 demarche

George Abraham Thampy

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis, Missouri

2002 prospicience Pratyush Buddiga

Rocky Mountain News

Denver, Colorado

historic

Jody-Anne Maxwell, from Jamaica, became the first Black winner of the Bee in 1998. Zaila Avant-garde became the first Black American winner in 2021. Maxwell is also the only winner from a country outside the United States.

2001 succedaneum

Sean Conley Aitkin

Independent Age Aitkin, Minnesota

2003 pococurante

Sai R. Gunturi

The Dallas Morning News Dallas, Texas

2004 autochthonous

David Scott Pilarski Tidmarsh South Bend Tribune

South Bend, Indiana 2005 appoggiatura Anurag Kashyap

San Diego UnionTribune

San Diego, California

2006

Ursprache

Katharine Close

Asbury Park Press/Home News Tribune

Asbury Park, New Jersey

2007

serrefine

Evan M. O’Dorney Contra Costa Times

Walnut Creek, California

executive directors

1925-1931

Dean George B. Wood

1939

Douglas D. Cornette

1940-1948

Max B. Cook

1949-1957

Charles Schneider

2008 guerdon Sameer Mishra Journal and Courier Lafayette, Indiana

2009 Laodicean Kavya Shivashankar

The Olathe News Olathe, Kansas 2010 stromuhr Anamika Veeramani

The Plain Dealer Cleveland, Ohio

2011 cymotrichous Sukanya Roy Times Leader

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

2012 guetapens Snigdha Nandipati

U-T San Diego

San Diego, California

2013 knaidel Arvind Mahankali

Daily News

New York, New York

2014 stichomythia Sriram Hathwar Corning Rotary Club Corning, New York feuilleton Ansun Sujoe

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas

2015 nunatak Gokul Venkatachalam

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis, Missouri scherenschnitte Vanya Shivashankar

The Olathe News Olathe, Kansas

1958-1959

Richard D. Peters

1960-1984

James H. Wagner

1985-1986

Mary L. Mangold

1985-1989

Mary Curtin-Brooks

1987

Susan Miller 1988-1991

Sondra J. Austin

1990-1997

Reta Rose

1996-2020

Paige P. Kimble

2021-2022

Dr. J. Michael Durnil

2023–Present

2016

Feldenkrais

Jairam Hathwar

Corning Rotary Club

Corning, New York

gesellschaft

Nihar Janga

Houston Public Media

Houston, Texas

2017

marocain

Ananya Vinay

The Fresno Bee

Fresno, California

2018

koinonia

Karthik Nemmani

Scoggins

Middle School

McKinney, Texas

times 8

In 2019, eight co-winners were dubbed the “Octochamps” and hold the Guinness World Record for “Most winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee (single competition).”

2019 erysipelas

Erin Howard Adventure Travel

Birmingham, Alabama auslaut Rishik Gandhasri Bay Area Regional Spelling Bee

San Francisco, California bougainvillea Saketh Sundar

Howard County Library Columbia, Maryland

aiguillette

Shruthika Padhy

Rosa International Middle School

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

pendeloque

Sohum Sukhatankar

Dallas Sports Commission

Dallas, Texas

palama Abhijay Kodali

Dallas Sports Commission

Dallas, Texas

cernuous

Christopher Serrao

Discover Lehigh Valley

Allentown, Pennsylvania

pronouncers

1925-1927

Dr. George S. Wills, Western Maryland College

1929-1936

Dr. Charles E. Hill, George Washington University

1937-1940

Harold F. Harding, George Washington University

1938-1939

George F. Hussey, Jr., Special Contributing Editor to Webster’s New International Dictionary

1941-1942; 1946-1947

Dr. W. Hayes

Yeager, Professor of Public Speaking, George Washington University

odylic

Rohan Raja

Dallas Sports Commission

Dallas, Texas

2021

Murraya Zaila Avant-garde

New Orleans

Chapter of The Links

New Orleans, Louisiana

2022

moorhen Harini Logan Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre Association

San Antonio, Texas

2023

psammophile

Dev Shah SNSB Region One Bee

Largo, Florida

1948-1960

Benson S. Alleman, Department of Communication, American University

1961-1980

Dr. Richard R. Baker, Professor of Philosophy, University of Dayton

108 total champions

53 55 Girls Boys

33 14 year olds

53 13 year olds

19 12 year olds

3 11 year olds longest word scherenschnitte (2015) shortest word luge (1984)

1981-2002

Dr. Alex J Cameron, Associate Professor of English, University of Dayton

2003-present

Dr. Jacques Bailly, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Vermont

2019-present

Dr. Brian Sietsema, Clergyman, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

State by State

champions by state

Texas ( 16 ) Richard Earnhart, El Paso, 1942; Nettie Crawford, El Paso, 1962; Robert A. Wake, Houston, 1966; Susan Yoachum, Dallas, 1969; Robin Kral, Lubbock, 1972; Barrie Trinkle, Fort Worth, 1973; Paige Pipkin, El Paso, 1981; Blake Giddens, El Paso, 1983; Sai R. Gunturi, Dallas, 2003; Ansun Sujoe, Fort Worth, 2014; Nihar Janga, Houston, 2016; Karthik Nemmani, McKinney, 2018; Abhijay Kodali, Dallas, 2019; Sohum Sukhatankar, Dallas, 2019; Rohan Raja, Dallas, 2019; Harini Logan, San Antonio, 2022.

Ohio ( 9 ) Dean Lucas, Akron, 1927; Alma Roach, Akron, 1933; Clara Mohler, Akron, 1935; Jean Chappelear, Akron, 1948; Kim Calvin, Canton, 1949; Diana Reynard, Cleveland, 1950; Sandra Owen, Canton, 1957; William Kerek, Akron, 1964; Anamika Veeramani, Cleveland, 2010.

Pennsylvania ( 8 ) William Cashore, Norristown, 1954; Melody Sachko, Pittsburgh, 1956; Jonathan Knisely, Philadelphia, 1971; John Paola, Pittsburgh, 1977; Jon Pennington, Harrisburg, 1986; Stephanie Petit, Pittsburgh, 1987; Sukanya Roy, Wilkes-Barre, 2011; Christopher Serrao, Allentown, 2019.

Colorado ( 7 ) Dana Bennett, Denver, 1957; Joel Montgomery, Denver, 1959; Katie Kerwin, Denver, 1979; Jacques Bailly, Denver, 1980; Molly Dieveney, Denver, 1982; Scott Isaacs, Denver, 1989; Pratyush Buddiga, Denver, 2002.

Tennessee ( 7 ) Laura Kuykendall, Knoxville, 1940; Irving Belz, Memphis, 1951; Henry Feldman, Knoxville, 1960; 1993; Ned G. Andrews, Knoxville, 1994; Justin Tyler Carroll, Memphis, 1995.

California (6 ) Rageshree Ramachandran, Sacramento, 1988; Anurag Kashyap, San Diego, 2005; Evan M. O’Dorney, Walnut Creek, 2007; Snigdha Nandipati, San Diego, 2012; Ananya Vinay, Fresno, 2017; Rishik Gandhasri, San Francisco, 2019.

Kansas ( 5 ) Jolitta Schlehuber, Topeka, 1958; Robert L. Walters, Topeka, 1968; Peg McCarthy, Topeka, 1978; Kavya Shivashankar, Olathe, 2009; Vanya Shivashankar, Olathe, 2015.

New York ( 5 ) Tim Kneale, Syracuse, 1976; Rebecca Sealfon, New York City, 1997; Arvind Mahankali, New York City, 2013; Sriram Hathwar, Corning, 2014; Jairam Hathwar, Corning, 2016.

Iowa ( 4 ) Helen Jensen, Des Moines, 1930; Dorothy Greenwalk, Des Moines, 1932; Jean Trowbridge, Des Moines, 1936; John McKinney, Des Moines, 1946.

Kentucky ( 4 ) Frank Neuhauser, Louisville, 1925; Pauline Bell, Louisville, 1926; Waneeta Beckley, Louisville, 1937; Marian Richardson, Louisville, 1938.

Missouri ( 4 ) Sandra Sloss, St. Louis, 1955; Michael Day, St. Louis, 1962; George Abraham Thampy, St. Louis, 2000; Gokul Venkatachalam, St. Louis, 2015.

Florida (3 ) Wendy Guey, West Palm Beach, 1996; Nupur Lala, Tampa, 1999; Dev Shah, Largo, 2023.

Indiana ( 3 ) Betty Robinson, South Bend, 1928; David Tidmarsh, South Bend, 2004; Sameer Mishra, Lafayette, 2008.

states with 2 champions

Alabama – Julie Anne Junkin, Birmingham, 1974; Erin Howard, Birmingham, 2019. Georgia – Mattie Lou Pollard, Atlanta, 1947; Colquitt Dean, Atlanta, 1950. Illinois – Ward Randall, White Hall, 1931; Balu Natarajan, Chicago, 1985. Nebraska – Virginia Hogan, Omaha, 1929; Jennifer Reinke, Omaha, 1967. New Jersey – Katharine Close, Asbury Park, 2006; Shruthika Padhy, Cherry Hill, 2019. North Carolina –Doris Ann Hall, Winston-Salem, 1952; Libby Childress, Winston-Salem, 1970. Oklahoma – John Capeheart, Tulsa, 1961; Michael Kerpan, Jr., Tulsa, 1965. Virginia – Daniel Greenblatt, Leesburg, 1984; Amanda Goad, Richmond, 1992.

states/others with 1 champion

Arizona – Elizabeth Hess, Phoenix, 1953. Louisiana – Zaila Avant-garde, New Orleans, 2021. Maine – Sarah Wilson, Portland, 1934. Maryland – Saketh Sundar, Columbia, 2019. Massachusetts – Elizabeth Ann Rice, Worcester, 1939. Michigan – Louis Edward Sissman, Detroit, 1941. Minnesota –Sean Conley, Aitkin, 2001. Washington – Amy Marie Dimak, Seattle, 1990. Wisconsin – Joanna Lagatta, Madison, 1991. Jamaica – Jody-Anne Maxwell, 1998. Puerto Rico – Hugh Tosteson García, 1975.

states waiting for their first champion

Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming

top sponsor cities of champions

Denver, Colorado ( 7 )

Akron, Ohio ( 5 )

Dallas, Texas ( 5 )

Des Moines, Iowa ( 4 )

El Paso, Texas ( 4 )

Knoxville, Tennessee ( 4 )

Louisville, Kentucky ( 4 )

See page 38

crossword

See page 39

HOW DID YOU DO?

excellent adventures

2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion Dev Shah made multiple appearances on national and local TV and was even honored by his community upon his return home. Since then, he has authored bylines in The Washington Post, the Tampa Bay Times and Fortune magazine, sharing his Bee experience with even more people through his passion for writing.

MEDIA TOUR

Dev’s post-win media tour began under bright lights the morning following his win – he appeared on TV shows including "Good Morning America," "TODAY" and "Scripps News." He went on to New York City where he made an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Mark.”

HOMECOMING

Back in his hometown of Largo, Dev was recognized by the mayor of Largo, who proclaimed June 20 “Dev Shah Day” in the city. He was also recognized by the Pinellas County Government and the Pinellas County School Board.

FROM SPELLER TO AUTHOR

Since his win, Dev has harnessed his love of words to pen columns that have appeared in The Washington Post, the Tampa Bay Times, Fortune magazine and Teen Mag. The Washington Post and Fortune Magazine also featured Dev’s columns in video posts on Instagram.

GUEST JUDGING

Dev joined head pronouncer Dr. Jacques Bailly at the National Press Club’s “Press vs. Politicians” Bee. This time, he was on the other side of the stage as a judge for the event, which named Amy Wang, The Washington Post’s national politics reporter, its champion.

STAR-STUDDED DAY

In April, Dev joined some of the stars of “Abbott Elementary” on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" for a mock spelling bee.

DEV RINGS THE CLOSING BELL AT NASDAQ ON TIMES SQUARE IN NEW YORK CITY.

1975 national competitor

Gary Oberbrunner is Emmy-winning creator of visual effects software for films —AMY BLAKELY

ary Oberbrunner is an Emmy-award-winning software that’s been used to make movies including “Iron Man,” “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix,” music videos by Beyonce and Lady Gaga and TV shows like “Lost,” “CSI” and “Dancing with the Stars.”

GWhile most of his career has been dedicated to telling stories fan of words.

He was 12 and in the seventh grade in Syracuse, New York, when he participated in the 48th annual Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee in 1975.

“I had a great time,” Oberbrunner says, recalling the sightseeing trips and parties with the other contestants. “But it was all a blur really because all I could think of was the Bee.”

He ended up placing 11th

“I went out on...don’t laugh…‘mien,’ ” he says. The word refers to a person’s look or manner that expresses their character, attitude or personality.

“I’d literally never heard of that word and choked. I didn’t ask for the derivation, or I would’ve gotten it easily because I was pretty good in French. But as soon as I said ‘m-e,’ I heard that ding and knew I was done.

“Even today I still can’t see the word ‘mien’ and not think of that moment.”

Oberbrunner went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. He spent 20 years as vice president of engineering and

sion, Televisa and Warner Bros.

Oberbrunner now has his own company, Dark Star Systems, where he uses what he learned in TV and movie production to help scientists explain their work in visually beautiful, scien-

portrayed as an ivory tower, an elite thing that nobody understands,” he says. “I wanted to help show everyday people how beautiful science can be.”

WINNING SMILE

Gary Oberbrunner with his 2019 Emmy award (top); on stage playing jazz bass (center).

For the past two years, Oberbrunner also has been the chief software architect for Color Intelligence, a com-to help studios encolor.

In his spare time? “I love learning new things,” Oberbrunner says, adding that he’s currently studying climate change, pandemic policy and the

jazz bass and loves music, the outdoors and travel.

Oberbrunner livessachusetts, with his partner, Laura. He has two grown children.

Oberbrunner also enjoys sailing. Here, he's with a group of folks from MIT, sailing on Boston Harbor.

1991 national competitor

Dan Feyer is nine-time American crossword puzzle tournament champ —AMY BLAKELY

hether it’s across, up and down, or one letter at a time, Dan Feyer has a way with words.

WA competitor in the 1991 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Feyer is a nine-time winner of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT). He holds Guinness World Records for most consecutive and total number of ACPT wins.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Feyer earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Princeton University in 1999. He then lived in New York City for 14 years, working as a freelance pianist for musical theatre.

In 2014, he moved back to San Francisco where he continues to work as a musical theatre accompanist. He recently played keyboard for the national tour of “Hamilton.” He’s also a freelance proofreader and editor for crossword publishers, and he’s created four crosswords that were published in The New York Times.

Feyer said he’s always loved reading, spelling and games.

As an eighth grader, he survived a couple of rounds of the 1991 Scripps National Spelling Bee before missing “panegyric” (public speech or text praising someone).

His passion for crosswords began 16 years later, after watching “Wordplay,” a documentary about the ACPT, which was founded in 1978 and is the oldest and largest crossword tournament in the country.

“I hadn’t thought about crosswords as a sport or competitive activity,” he says. “The movie made it look very exciting. The movie also delved into how puzzles are made, edited, curated

With his interest piqued, Feyer became a student of cross-

PUZZLING IT OUT Dan Feyer with his 2023 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament trophy (top); Feyer participates in the San Francisco County Spelling Bee (bottom).

word puzzles. He started reading crossword blogs and discovered an active crossword community online.

Soon, Feyer was working 20 to 25 crossword puzzles each day and could complete a normal-size puzzle in two to three minutes.

His spelling prowess proved helpful.

“You pretty much have to be a crack speller to be a really fast crossword solver,” he says.

he placed fourth. He won in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019. He claimed his ninth championship in 2023 by edging out his competition by one second.

Feyer tried his hand at another type of puzzle in 2022: He competed on “Jeopardy.”

“I always thought, ‘I know enough to get on ‘Jeopardy’ but not win a lot of money,’” he says. “I wanted to take my chance.” Unfortunately, a Daily Double error was his downfall.

These days, Feyer sticks with crosswords. He’s down to

puzzles from The New York Times, The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and independent puzzle makers.

“I don’t have time for the easier ones,” says Feyer, who now has a 4-year-old son with wife, Gretchen. “Becoming a father has cut down on my crossword time.”

Versha Sharma amplifies young changemakers as Teen Vogue editor —AMY BLAKELY

A 1998 national competitor

s a sixth-grader, Versha Sharma tripped on the word “misogynistic” in the 1998 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“As someone who grew up to write a lot about women’s rights and feminism, this always strikes me as ironic,” says Sharma, now the editor of Teen Vogue magazine.

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Sharma was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. After earning her bachelor’s degree in political science from Centenary College of Louisiana in 2008, she spent four months working on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

The next year, she moved to New York City and spent the next 13 years working at a variety of online news organizations. At Lean Forward, a microsite of MSNBC, she covered the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. At Vocativ, she covered international conflicts involving Russia and Ukraine and wrote stories about LGBT and women’s rights. And at NowThis, she produced documentaries on immigration from the U.S.-Mexico border; traveled to Moscow, Russia; and interviewed then-President Obama and current president Joe Biden. She shared in a 2018 Edward R. Murrow Award for a documentary on Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico.

Sharma took the helm of Teen Vogue in 2021. She calls it her “dream job.”

“Young people have always

been at the forefront of leading change—protests, activism, marches, calling for progress and calling on those with power to do better. I was that way when I was a teenager, and I know today’s young people are the same,” she says. “So, I love to amplify them as much as I can because I believe in our communal power to make the world a better place to live.”

Looking back, Sharma says the Scripps National Spelling

middle school and high school, I became increasingly interested in current events, politics and journalism, and I learned to appreciate journalism as

GIRL REPORTER

Versha Sharma with husband Casey Michel at a 2022 Diwalii ball (top); today, she edits Teen Vogue magazine (center); interviewing then-president Obama in 2016 (bottom) New York City.

she says. “As a woman of color, I also know journalism has historically excluded a lot of perspectives, and it’s important to me to be part of correcting that.”

Sharma—who lives in New York with journalist-author husband, Casey Michel, and their 1-year-old daughter, Devi—says her career has allowed her to travel the world, immerse herself in major news events and interview some real A-listers.

“Sitting down with President Obama one week before the 2016 election is something I’ll never forget—both because of the experience and because of the substance of what we talked about,” she says, adding that “another unforgettable experience” was interviewing Maria “Masha” Vladimirovna Alyokhina, a Russian feminist political activist, in the back of a cab in Moscow.

“I consider it an honor to be trusted with people’s stories and be given the time and freedom to ask them honest questions.”

2006 champion

Kerry Close Guaragno, a five-time speller, sees lessons in winning and losing —AMY BLAKELY

erry Close Guaragno’s victory in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee sparked memorable moments—from appearing on national TV to visiting the White House to being a featured guest on a Broadway stage and at the launch of a cruise ship.

K“Perseverance. Coming back year after year and having the

“And the ability to take a big task and break it down into smaller -

She prepared for the Scripps National Spelling Bee by study-

had a professional coach.man word that refers to language—she breathed a sigh of relief. her way to victory.

were married in 2021 after the pandemic forced them to post-

has completed 13 half-marathons and six marathons.

SEA WORTHY Guaragno with Martha Stewart and Katharine McPhee (left) the inauguration of a Princess Cruise Line ship; with her husband, J.J. (below left).

Guaragno says she recalls the Scripps National Spelling Bee as “a celebration with a competition

remember that luck is a wild card. “A lot of the Bee is out of your con-

Kerry guaragno and thenScripps CEO Ken Lowe hoisting the trophy at the 2006 scripps National Spelling Bee after Close won by spelling ursprache.

redefining failure

When it comes to definitions, the Bee is all about being Merriam-Webster official. But there’s one word that Corrie Loeffler, the Bee’s executive director, wants to redefine. – REBECCA MCCARTER

"What the Bee and all of the spellers who have participated over the years have taught me is that failure does not mean the absence of success (Sorry, Merriam-Webster!)"

TOP MOM Corrie Loeffler hugs her mom, Linda, after she won the parents’ spelling bee at the 1995 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

instilling a love of language

In my house, reading was central to the bedtime routine for our two daughters. Every night, after they were in their pajamas, reading to them was the wind-down process for the day. Like for so many busy parents, this ritual was a special time together.

For my wife Sherri and I, it started out sitting in rocking chairs in their rooms when they were babies. Eventually, it transitioned to laying on the bed together reading a book they picked out. I’m sure other parents will empathize with the many nights we read the same story over and over again.

I read “Goodnight Moon” a lot. “Goodnight Zoo” was a particularly good one that taught them animal sounds. And then we transitioned to “Curious George,” and plenty of princess stories, too. Nevertheless, it was about forming a habit, and I am happy to say, the habit stuck.

We wanted them to have a love for books, a love for reading and a love for language. There’s a ton of evidence to show the value of our time together and their association with books and reading.

alongside the books she has to read for school.

Last year, I introduced Logan to John Irving, my favorite author when I was in high school. I remembered pouring through “The Cider House Rules,” “The World According to Garp,” “Hotel New Hampshire,” birthday in December, she bought me Irving’s latest book, “The Last Chairlift,” which I’m reading now.

This connection to language is part of what makes the Scripps National Spelling Bee so special for me. Language and learning in my family have always been communal. Homework is often done at the kitchen table. Books are passed between my daughters now, and on to my wife or I, or vice versa. And this notion of learning and studying together is central to what I see in a lot of the spellers who study for the Bee. It’s gratifying for our company to play a small role in the development of millions of children

I always wanted my children to feel a sense of self-determination and empowerment. If knowledge is power, then language, or the ability to articulate that knowledge, is how that power can be put to good use.

I am proud of the role The E.W. Scripps Company plays to inform, engage and entertain the people of this country. The company’s commitment to the Scripps National Spelling Bee represents the reverence we have for the next generation of lifelong learners.

Adam

Symson

President and CEO

The E.W. Scripps Company

BEDTIME STORY Adam Symson reads to his daughter Hannah when she was young.

Sage customizes the competition for spellers.

—MOLLY MIOSSI

The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee is just getting underway, but already, this year’s Regional Partner of the Year is preparing for how to top its county bee in 2025.

Sage, a global academic publisher of books, journals and library resources, is committed to making sure each speller has a unique, positive experience. Sage’s division, Corwin, is committed to K–12 education, and sponsoring the local spelling bee is aligned with the company’s purpose and values. When Sage took over as the regional partner in 2017, Sage and the Bee team created a vision for what they wanted the regional bee to represent.

Ana Rubio, manager, corporate events and community relations at Sage, has described how much the Bee means by expressing, “we put our hearts into this event each year, and it is truly a labor of love for all of us involved at Sage.”

Sage created a website for the spellers to use as a resource as they prepare for the competition. The website features a video of the school champions, photos and fun facts. Another unique idea created by the Sage team was a special video of “Fritz Goes to the Bee” that details the spelling bee journey for the competitors and adds a special lightheartedness on

“The parents have given us feedback that their speller felt very special,” Rubio says. “Every year we look forward to making it more special, more engaging, and really having the students enjoy the process and feel like they’ve gained something from it.”

Organizers work to customize the competition for each speller and provide each school champion with a congratu-

BUSY BEES

Ana Rubio, manager of corporate events and community relations for Sage, is with Julie Lopez, coordinator of the Sage Ventura County Spelling Bee.

“We’re already looking ahead to next year, how we can help our spellers even more,” says Julie Lopez, one of the coordinators for the Sage Ventura County Spelling Bee. The spelling bee holds a special place in Lopez’s heart as she has worked with the county spelling bee for 14 years through her prior employer before Sage became the sponsor. Lopez takes time to get to know each of the roughly 100 spellers every

information to help inspire them and make them feel personally recognized as they’re eliminated from the competition.

Like the advice given by head judge Mary Brooks at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, with Lopez’s words of wisdom, the eliminated spellers leave with their heads held high.

Lopez and Rubio are excited to cheer on the county’s speller, Ibrahim Zaki, in person in National Harbor, Maryland. They plan to use the trip to help evolve the 2025 Sage Ventura County California Spelling Bee. “We’re looking forward to seeing if Scripps has any new tricks and tips as we move forward with planning the next bee,” Lopez says.

HIVE MIND

Dr. Alexander Carr is with his students, district champion Velvizhi Sethirayar and Syrus Salcedo at the 2024 Orange County Regional Spelling Bee at Walt Disney World.

Dr. Alexander Carr focuses on inclusion. —MOLLY MIOSSI

Once a competitive speller himself, the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee Educator of the Year credits his classroom spelling bee for helping him learn the English language.

“I’m a second language learner,” says Dr. Alexander Carr, teacher at Orlando Gifted Academy in Florida. “When I was in school and learning English as a language, we’d do the spelling competition, so I became really interested in spelling.”

Carr moved to Florida from Puerto Rico in elementary school. While he doesn’t remember how far he made it in the competition or what word knocked him out, the lessons he learned from the spelling bee stayed with him. “You may not be the most athletically inclined person, but that doesn’t keep you from competing,” he says. “You can compete with your mind.”

Eight years ago, while teaching at a Title I school in Florida, Carr started a class for junior high students to compete in math, robotics and spelling competitions. His teaching and

that class won the school spelling bee and advanced to the regional competition. Carr says it opened the door for those students to get opportunities they might not have had otherwise. “Some of the students that were in that class had not even left their small neighborhood area,” Carr says. “Those experiences are extremely valuable.”

In 2018, Carr began teaching at the Orlando Gifted Acad-

the bee’s coordinator, his goal was to make sure the program was inclusive of all students, regardless of their abilities or language barriers. “Just because you have certain limitations doesn’t mean you’re incapable of doing extraordinary things,” Carr says. One of the students he teaches has partial hearing loss. While putting together the school’s competition this year, he made sure the sound system was upgraded and working properly, while also having the pronouncer use a microphone.

“We are inspired by the way Dr. Carr helps students feel included and sets them on a path to success,” says Corrie Loef-

For the first time this year, one of Carr’s students— sixth-grader Velvizhi Sethirayar—advanced to the national competition. He knows she’ll put her best foot forward and give her best performance, regardless of the outcome.

As a former competitive speller, Carr had one piece of advice for his younger self. “It’s OK that you have an accent,” he says. “It’s OK that you may not know what some words are—that is OK. In time, you’ll get to where you need to be.”

SugarBee ® Apple is sponsoring the Educator of the Year award. “SugarBee ® Apple growers proudly support the Bee’s educators and their devotion to inspiring every child to discover their potential to innovate and create something magical,” says Julie DeJarnatt, director of brand strategy at Chelan Fresh and representative for SugarBee ® Apple.

Craig Pearson prepares each year for his role as pronouncer. —MOLLY MIOSSI

For nearly two decades, Craig Pearson has been the voice behind the Windsor, Ontario, spelling bee. “As we all know, to succeed in a spelling bee, you really have to study,” Pearson says. “To succeed as a pronouncer in a spelling bee, you also have to study.”

Pearson, the managing editor of the Windsor Star, is the pronouncer of the WFCU Credit Union Regional Spelling Bee—a role he’s served in for the last 19 years. “I like to think that if [returning spellers] see the pronouncer for a second or third year in a row that makes them feel a little bit better,” he says.

Even with his nearly four decades of experience working as a news manager, copy editor and reporter, Pearson continues to work on perfecting his pronouncing craft. Before each regional bee, he spends weeks studying and rehearsing.

“I always study with a pencil so that I can make notes. I think what’s most important is some of the alternate pronunciations,” Pearson says. “It always amazes me when I hear myself pronounce this crazy sounding word that I certainly did not know before. I studied it, and this young speller spells it back correctly.”

This year, he was recognized as the Scripps National Spelling Bee Regional Volunteer of the Year. Pearson is credited for leveraging his expertise and media connections to ensure the event is a success each year. His commitment to literacy and educational excellence has helped secure promotional and event coverage in the Windsor Star newspaper.

“Volunteers like Craig help keep the next generation of spellers inspired,” says Bryan Witt, regional partner relations specialist for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. “He dedicates countless hours each year to promoting literacy and reaching kids across his community.”

about more than just spelling and pronunciation. “I think it

SAY IT AGAIN

(Top) Craig Pearson, managing editor at the Windsor Star, performs the role of pronouncer at the WFCU Scripps Regional Spelling Bee at the Chrysler Theatre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

can you see the nerves in some of them.”

His best advice for spellers is to slow down. “Don’t rush it and ask for what you’re allowed to ask,” Pearson says. “So, of course, you’re allowed to ask the pronouncer to repeat it. But

or to use it in a sentence.”

To help put the spellers at ease as they approach the microphone, he greets them each with a friendly smile and reminds them of what they’ve already accomplished to get there. “Spelling bees should spell, simply, F-U-N.”

that’s entertainment

Zach Sherwin is a Los Angeles-based comedian and rapper who has written and performed on “Epic Rap Battles of History” on YouTube and written for The CW series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Sherwin will be on stage for the in-person audience at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee, as he was in 2023.

Comedian and rapper? How does that happen?

[Laughs] I know! I got into rap when I was 10 and wrote rhymes all through my teenage years. These raps were comedic, but very much unintentionally so. Then in college, I joined an on-purpose comedy group, and I noticed that the sketches we were writing were all two or three minutes long—the same length as a song. When I started performing on my own, combining the two formats was a no-brainer.

Your mom was a rabbi. How was it growing up the son of a rabbi?

First let me say how proud I am of my rabbi mom—a single parent who switched careers in her

professional dream. Way to go, Rita. As for me: I feel like clergy kids are either very docile or very rebellious, and I

ry 1. I got good grades and was exceedingly po lite to my mom’s congregants and generally behaved like a rule-following sweetums. This is making me think that being in the public eye all the time while having to be Rabbi Boy is part of why comedy felt so exciting when I started—I could break the rules and get rewarded, with laughs. (That said, I remain a rule-following sweetums.)

Memorable moment of your 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee experience? What really sticks with me from last year’s Bee is watching Dr. Bailly pronounce these unbelievably obscure words, and the spellings without batting an eye, and then looking up from the monitor at the same time as everybody else, and all of our jaws were just hanging wide open. Getting to witness the Bee is exhilarating and joyful. I’m smiling as I type this.

Favorite word?

“Univocalic,” an adjective for words or names or phrases that are spelled using only one of the vowels; for example, Bee Week, Best Week

Best word you’ve included in a rap?eter,” which is the absurdly technical name for a blood-pressure

Then I suppose you could call it a ‘blood -

Favorite rhyme in a rap?

I once rhymed “testosterone” which I highly recommend saying out loud. Have any personal spelling bee experiences?

Oh, wow, do I ever. In sixth grade, I won the spelling bee at my elementary school and on “cirrhosis,” which my grandpa had, so I knew how to spell it. Yes! Then I went to the Ohio state competition, made it to the top four, and then

process the trauma by writing a comedy song about the experience many years later and, ultimately,

Which one of your YouTube videos should

I’ll just recommend that everybody go watch “The Aggressive Bee,” which is a) my most viewed YouTube video of all time; b) without a doubt the cheapest, easiest video I’ve ever shot; c) 100% squeaky-clean; and d) about a BEE.

Arizona Educational Foundation

C Spire Foundation

Dallas Sports Commission

2 News Oklahoma

A.C.E.S.

ABC 10News

Akron Beacon Journal

Alabama Kiwanis Foundation

Anchorage Daily News

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Ball State University - WIPB-TV

Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Danville Area

Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education

Boston Centers for Youth & Families

Boulder Valley School District

Cape Breton University

Capitol Area Region

Carroll/JoDaviess/ Stephenson Regional Office of Education

Central Rappahannock Regional Library

Champlain Valley Educational Services

Charles County Public Schools

Charleston Gazette-Mail

Chester County Intermediate Unit

Chicago Public Schools

Collier County Public Schools

Columbia Missourian

Corning Rotary Club

Cumberland County Schools

DeKalb Regional Office of Education 16

These regional partners organize spelling bees across the country and sponsor regional champions who advance to the national competition.

platinum partners

gold partners

Fairfax County Council PTA

Georgia Association of Educators

Miami Herald

Delaware County Intermediate Unit

Diamond City Sports

Duke University Office of Durham and Community Affairs

DuPage Regional Office of Education

Ector County Independent School District

ECU Regional Bee Education Credit Union Educational Service Center of Lorain County Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas

Envision Credit Union

EPISD Education Foundation ESC of the Western Reserve

Eureka Enrichment Services, Inc.

European PTSA Fairbanks North Star

Borough School District

Frederick County Public Libraries

Grundy/Kendall County Regional Office of Education

Harnett County Schools

Hawaii State Spelling Bee

Howard County Library

Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs

Idaho Character Foundation

Imperial County Office of Education

InsideNoVa/Prince William

IU School of Education at IUPUI

Johnston County Public Schools

NYC Department of Education

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Tennessee Titans The City Journals The Ministry of Education

regional partners

Kalamazoo Experiential Learning Center

Kane County Regional Office of Education

Kankakee Valley REMC

Kansas Press Association

Kent Intermediate School District

KERO Channel 23

Kiwanis Club of Abilene

Kiwanis Club of Lafayette & Arcadiana

KRIS Communications

Lafayette Adult Resource Academy

Lake County Regional Office of Education

Laredo Morning Times

Lee County Spelling Bee

Lewiston Tribune

Los Angeles County Office of Education

Loudoun County Public Schools

Louisiana State University

Shreveport

Louisville Free Public Library

Macomb Intermediate School District

Maryland Sports

McHenry County Regional Office of Education

Mid-Continent Public Library

Midland Reporter-Telegram

Montana Television Network

Monterey County Office of Education

Mosaic Life Care Foundation

Navajo Times Publishing Company

ND Association of County Superintendents

New Hampshire Union Leader

New Orleans Chapter of The Links

Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

Oakland Schools

Education Foundation

Ohio University College of Business

Oklahoma City Thunder

Olathe Public Schools

Omaha Sports Commission

Orange-Ulster BOCES

Pee Dee Education Center

Pennsylvania State Education Association and Council for the Advancement of Public Schools

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Portland Press Herald/

Maine Sunday Telegram

Press Communications

Radford University

Ramar Communications

Rapoport Holdings, LLC

Raymore-Peculiar

School District

Regional Office of Education #47

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Rio Grande Valley AIM

Media Texas

Riverside County Office of Education

Rockingham District Ruritans

Rotary Club of Guam

SagamoreHill Broadcasting, LLC

Sage

Public Education Foundation

Washington Informer WCPO 9

Saint Louis University

Salem News, East Liverpool Review and The Morning Journal

Schuylkill Technology Center

Sidelines and Stages

Somerset County Library System of NJ

South Cook ISC

Southeast Education Service Center

Sussex County Public Libraries

Sweet Success ATX

Sweetwater County

BOCES

TCG Memorial Academy

TCP Software

Telemundo Portland

Texas Christian University

The Albuquerque Journal

The Blade

The Clarksburg

Exponent-Telegram

The County Press

The Daily Item

The Daily Star

The Denver Post

The Dispatch Argus

The Herald Palladium

The Herald-Star

The Lima News

The Marietta Times

The Martha’s Vineyard Times

The Meakem Group

The Office of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

The Orange County Register

The Park Record

The Post and Courier

The Post-Standard

The Repository

The Times Leader

The Valley Breeze

The Virgin Islands Daily News

Three Rivers College

Town Hall Seattle

Traverse City Record-Eagle

University of KentuckyCollege of Education

University of Maryland

Eastern Shore

University of Memphis University of South Dakota

University of Texas at San Antonio - College of Education & Human Development

USC Upstate

Vermont Principals Association

Victoria Advocate

Visalia Times-Delta/ Tulare Advance-Register

Watertown Daily Times

Wayne-Finger Lakes

BOCES

West Shore Educational Service District

WFCU Credit Union

WFMJ Television, Inc.

WHRO Public Media

Will County Regional Office of Education

WITF Public Media

WJXT

Wright State University

WXYZ Channel 7

2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee

INSIDE

* Meet the officials, word panelists, Bee team and College Crew

* Your Bee Week Passport

Meet the Spellers

Autograph Pages would you sign my bee keeper, please?

One of the great traditions of Bee Week is asking spellers and officials to sign your Bee Keeper, which includes photos and information on all 245 spellers competing in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Can you get every signature in the book?

Ayden speaks Vietnamese visited Vietnam times.

#1 AYDEN KHANG NGUYEN

#2 READELL KELLAN

LETOAOTAUA MAMEA

#3 ELDEN BENJAMIN WIER

#4 ALIYAH RACHEL

Meet the Spellers

Isabelle was the

#5 ISABELLE NOELLE GARCIA

Autographs

#6 SHYNELLE PEYTON JOE

#7 RYAN FAN

#8 AARAV VIRAT BALANI

Eckward likes to cook.

Sebastian tasted rattlesnake bites while visiting Arizona and liked them.

#9 ECKWARD SEBASTIAN FERGUSON

12 years old • 8th grade

Central Eleuthera High School • The Ministry of Education (Nassau, The Bahamas)

#10 SEBASTIAN ANTONIO MILLAN

11 years old • 5th grade

Albany Park Elementary School • KERO Channel

Autographs

Amaani started learning Indian classical music at the age of 4.

Aren won third place in the 2024 California State Indoor Championships, archery competition.

#11 AMAANI KADAMBI CHARAN

14 years old • 8th grade

Chaboya Middle School • San Ramon Valley Rotary Club (Danville, California)

#12 AREN LEE

12 years old • 7th grade

Helios School • San Ramon Valley Rotary Club (Danville, California)

Meet the Spellers

Shradha has taken classical Indian dance classes for eight years.

#13 SHRADHA ANJANA RACHAMREDDY

14 years old • 8th grade

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley Upper School • San Ramon Valley Rotary Club (Danville, California)

Carina is part of her school’s chorus.

#14 CARINA SOFIA BELTRAN

13 years old • 7th grade

St. Mary’s Catholic School • Imperial County

Autographs

Aarav joined the middle school golf team as a 6th grader.

#15 AARAV SINGH MANN

13 years old • 7th grade

Washington Academic Middle School • of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (Fresno, California)

Katelyn is a blue belt in Aikido, a Japanese style of martial arts.

#16 KATELYN NGUYEN

13 years old • 7th grade

Helen Stacey Middle School • The Orange County Register (Irvine, California)

Oliver started his school’s newspaper, The Mirman Messenger, which is now in its third year.

#17 OLIVER SULLIVAN MCRAE HALKETT

12 years old • 6th grade

The Mirman School • Los Angeles County

Rishabh has visited 59 of the 63 U.S. National Parks.

#18 RISHABH SAHA

14 years old • 8th grade

Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle School •

Avi keeps a good luck charm in his pocket during competitions.

#19 AVIJEET SINGH RANDHAWA

13 years old • 8th grade

Auburndale Intermediate School • Riverside

Nithika’s birthday falls on Star Wars Day.

#20 NITHIKA SRI RANGAN

14 years old • 8th grade • TCG Memorial

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Ryan sails twoperson C420 race boats on weekends in the crew position and trapezes over the water.

#21 RYAN D. FERGUSON

14 years old • 8th grade

San Carlos School • Monterey County

When Shrey he wrote a book and donated all the proceeds to wildlife conservancy.

#22 SHREY PARIKH

12 years old • 6th grade

Day Creek Intermediate School • San Bernardino County Superintendent

Srikanth has played basketball for

#23 SRIKANTH SATHEESH KUMAR

14 years old • 8th grade

Heritage Intermediate School • San Bernardino

Ben learned to read at age 2.

#24 BENJAMIN KENNETH EVANS

14 years old • 8th grade

Twin Peaks Middle School • ABC 10News

Autographs

Ibrahim has a YouTube channel where he uploads his photography and stopmotion animations.

#25 IBRAHIM AHMED ZAKI

13 years old • 8th grade

Golden Valley Charter School • Sage (Thousand Oaks, California)

Sarvadnya enjoys doing yoga, especially sun salutations, early in the morning.

#26 SARVADNYA JITENDRA KADAM

13 years old • 7th grade

Oak Grove Elementary School • Visalia TimesDelta/Tulare Advance-Register (Visalia, California)

Autographs

Duncan loves paleontology and has visited the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Canada.

#27 DUNCAN BENEDICT GRANT

14 years old • 8th grade

King’s-Edgehill School • Cape Breton University (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada)

Arshan can imitate a British accent.

#28 ARSHAN SHAHRIAR

10 years old • 4th grade

Selwyn Elementary School • ECU Regional Bee (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)

Meet the Spellers

Isaac likes photography and wants to run a small photo business during his high school years.

#29 ISAAC JOSEPH BROGAN

12 years old • 6th grade

Maranatha Christian Academy • WFCU Credit Union (Windsor, Ontario, Canada)

concert was an Imagine Dragons concert in Denver.

#30 COOPER WILLIAM EDWARDS

11 years old • 5th grade

Niwot Elementary School • Boulder Valley School District (Boulder, Colorado)

Autographs

Aditi was recognized as a 2024 National Junior Honor Society Outstanding Achievement Award winner.

#31 ADITI MUTHUKUMAR

13 years old • 8th grade

Hulstrom K-8 • The Denver Post (Denver, Colorado)

Hayden has the American Invitational Mathematics Examination with Distinction.

#32 HAYDEN HUGHES

14 years old • 7th grade

Hughes Homeschool • Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society (West Hartford, Connecticut)

F U n F FA Ct

Vihaan is known to be a humorous conversationalist.

#33 VIHAAN A. JAGADEESH

10 years old • 5th grade

Rehoboth Elementary School • Sussex County Public Libraries (Georgetown, Delaware)

U n F FA Ct

When Noah was 6, he fastened his shoes together and tried to hop down a set of stone steps.

#34 NOAH XAVIER ROWE

14 years old • 8th grade

MacFarland Middle School • The Washington Informer (Washington, District of Columbia)

Victoria is a big fan of electronic music and hopes to one day create some of her own.

#35 VICTORIA ANTONIA MCFETRIDGE

13 years old • 7th grade

St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic School • The Washington Informer (Washington, District of Columbia)

Ben has visited 29 different countries, and the United States will be his 30th country.

#36 BENJAMIN DANGER GRICE

9 years old • 4th grade

Afnorth International School • European PTSA (Defense and State Department Schools, Europe)

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

In her Community Problem Solvers club, Claire worked to combat censorship and advocate for the freedom to read.

#37 CLAIRE ELISE SMITH

12 years old • 7th grade

Southwestern Middle School • SNSB Region

Two Bee (DeLand, Florida)

Nicasio is a name of Spanish origin, meaning “victory.”

#38 NICASIO DORRIAN DAVID

13 years old • 7th grade

Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School • Lee County Spelling Bee (Fort Myers, Florida)

Sree Vidya writes for her school’s literary magazine and and poetry editor.

#39 SREE VIDYA SILIVERI

13 years old • 7th grade

Alice B. Landrum Middle School • WJXT (Jacksonville, Florida)

Camila has two lucky pins that she has worn to every spelling competition since 7th grade.

#40 CAMILA SANCHEZ IZQUIERDO

13 years old • 8th grade

Highpoint Academy • Miami Herald (Miami, Florida)

Autographs

Jasmine can draw anything by looking at a picture of it.

Rylan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but he now lives in Naples, Florida.

#41 JASMINE PEREZ

11 years old • 5th grade

Bayview Elementary School • Miami Herald (Miami, Florida)

#42 RYLAN WISE

13 years old • 7th grade

Pine Ridge Middle School • Collier County Public Schools (Naples, Florida)

Autographs

#43 ELVIS AVETIS

13 years old • 8th grade

Elvis runs a Blooket YouTube channel with over 4,000 subscribers and more than half a million views.

Nathan was the lead character in his school’s musical production of “Descendants” in 7th grade.

#44 NATHAN JOHN CRABBENDAM

Discovery Middle School • Orange County Public Schools (Orlando, Florida)

13 years old • 8th grade

SunRidge Middle School • Orange County Public Schools (Orlando, Florida)

Meet the Spellers

Vel can perform a Tamil martial art known as Silambam.

#45 VELVIZHI SENTHANAMUDAN SETHIRAYAR

11 years old • 6th grade

Orlando Gifted Academy • Orange County Public Schools (Orlando, Florida)

Autographs

Amara has been composing her own music since she was 7 years old.

#46 AMARA CHEPURI

11 years old • 5th grade

Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy • Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Bruhat was one of the top few in the nation chosen to participate in traditional memory sloka performance.

#47 BRUHAT SOMA

12 years old • 7th grade

Turner/Bartels K-8 School • Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Jordin spent eight hours in one sitting on one of her drawings without taking a break.

#48 JORDIN OREMOSU

14 years old • 8th grade

Lutz Preparatory School • Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Allie has hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail.

#49 ALLIE KAY WINSOR

13 years old • 8th grade

Holy Comforter Episcopal School • Envision Credit Union (Tallahassee, Florida)

Matthew memorized the periodic table of the elements when he was 4 years old.

#50 MATTHEW RYLAN BABER

14 years old • 8th grade

Rising Starr Middle School • Georgia Association of Educators (Tucker, Georgia)

Sarv’s name means “everything” in Marati.

#51 SARV SHAILESH DHARAVANE

10 years old • 4th grade

Austin Elementary School • Georgia Association of Educators (Tucker, Georgia)

Abena loves reading, especially historical novels and books full of adventure and excitement.

#52 ABENA KESSEWA KWAFFO

13 years old • 8th grade

KNUST Basic School • Young Educators Foundation (Accra, Ghana)

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Giovanni has written two short stories and one comic that are yet to be published.

#53 GIOVANNI MANUEL NIATSE ADJEI

10 years old • 6th grade

Christ The King International School • Young Educators Foundation (Accra, Ghana)

#54 N ’ADOM DARKO-ASARE

13 years old • 7th grade

N’Adom loves to take pictures and always has a camera whenever she travels.

DPS International Ghana • Young Educators Foundation (Accra, Ghana)

Alleena learned to speak her

“lettuce,” at 9 months old.

#55 ALLEENA RYDER VILLALUZ

13 years old • 7th grade

Saipan International School • Rotary Club of Guam (Hagåtña, Guam)

Sebastian has a passion for space and astronomy.

#56 SEBASTIAN LUKE CABALONA BEJAR

13 years old • 7th grade

Kapa’a Middle School • Hawaii State Spelling Bee (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Autographs

F U n F FA Ct

Amiah appeared on “The Rachael Ray Show” for raising $23,000 for the lunch debt in her school district.

#57 AMIAH RAY VAN HILL

13 years old • 8th grade

Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy • Idaho Character Foundation (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)

Autographs

F U n F FA Ct

Navtaj has solved a Rubik’s Cube in under 14 seconds.

#58 NAVTAJ KHALSA SINGH

13 years old • 7th grade

Lincoln Middle School • Lewiston Tribune (Lewiston, Idaho)

F U n F FA Ct

Nidhi is a budding geologist and has a large collection of rocks, amethyst being her favorite mineral.

#59 NIDHI KULKARNI

12 years old • 7th grade

Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School • Chicago Public Schools (Chicago, Illinois)

Meet the Spellers

Annette has a very wellorganized Pinterest account.

#60 ANNETTE CHU

14 years old • 8th grade

GEMS World Academy Chicago • SNSB Region

Three Bee (Chicago, Illinois)

Dev can recite every U.S. president in order.

#61 DEV BIPINJANAK KATIRA

14 years old • 8th grade

Katira Homeschool • South Cook ISC (Chicago, Illinois)

Autographs

Ribhu has been to and lived in states all over the country, from Colorado to New Jersey to Georgia.

#62 RIBHU CHAHER

14 years old • 8th grade

Channahon Junior High School • Will County

Andres likes playing video games, especially “Super Smash Bros Ultimate,” “Undertale,” “Geometry Dash” and “Just Shapes & Beats.”

#63 ANDRES ROBLES

12 years old • 7th grade

Huntley Middle School • DeKalb Regional

Hendrix plays French horn.

Yahya completely memorized the Quran last year.

#64 HENDRIX KOHLE FELD

13 years old • 7th grade

Pearl City Junior/Senior High School • of Education (Freeport, Illinois)

#65 YAHYA ALI MOHAMMED

12 years old • 6th grade Glenbrook Elementary School • Kane County

Ananya is ambidextrous.

At the age of 8, Evan memorized and spelled the entire periodic table of elements for fun.

#66 ANANYA JOSHI

12 years old • 6th grade Roscoe Middle School • Boone-Winnebago

#67 EVAN COCHRANE

12 years old • 7th grade • McHenry County

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

#68 ADHRIT PAL

11 years old • 6th grade

Adhrit likes to create original, entertaining games of his own.

Murphy Junior High School • Grundy/Kendall

(Morris, Illinois)

Ian can spell any word he knows backwards.

#70 IAN SANT WOON LEONG

12 years old • 6th grade

Matthews Middle School • Lake County Regional

Jake enjoys learning Japanese and computer programming.

#69 JAKE EDWARD EUGENE BAILEY

14 years old • 8th grade

Unity Christian School •

#71 SEAN THOMAS GIBBONS

13 years old • 8th grade

Sean enjoys speedrun games, especially “Geometry Dash.”

Bryan Middle School • DuPage Regional

Autographs

Reid is a New York Yankees fan and is often found on the couch hollering at the TV during games.

#72 REID MICHAEL SHAW

13 years old • 7th grade

Tri-North Middle School • SNSB Region

Three Bee (Bloomington, Indiana)

Achyut secured 4th place in 2022 and 6th place in 2023 at the Scholastic Chess of Indiana state level.

#73 ACHYUT ETHIRAJ

14 years old • 8th grade

Maple Creek Middle School • SNSB Region

Three Bee (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Autographs

Miah can recite digits of pi.

#74 MIAH KAYLEN MILLER

13 years old • 7th grade

Creekside Middle School • IU School of Education at IUPUI (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Sharanya loves irritating her parents with K-pop references, especially about the girl group BLACKPINK.

#75 SHARANYA KAR

11 years old • 6th grade

West Lafayette Intermediate School • Lafayette Adult Resource Academy (Lafayette, Indiana)

Meet the Spellers

#76 LEO THOMAS FURLONG

11 years old • 5th grade

Leo’s least favorite food is cheese.

Burris Laboratory School • Ball State University - WIPB-TV (Muncie, Indiana)

Nolan and his brother care for the eight different breeds of

#77 NOLAN MICHAEL ROULE

14 years old • 8th grade

St. John’s Lutheran School • Valley REMC (Wanatah, Indiana)

Autographs

pride in being an adept conversationalist.

Emory’s middle school team played two years undefeated championships.

#78 PARTHASARADHI REDDY KATREDDY

12 years old • 7th grade

Pleasant Valley Junior High School • The Dispatch Argus (Davenport, Iowa)

#79 EMORY JOBE

14 years old • 8th grade

Mission Trail Middle School • Olathe Public Schools (Olathe, Kansas)

Carey likes to play chess and has competed in state-level tournaments.

#80 CAREY CHEBII CHESIRE

13 years old • 8th grade

Andover Middle School • Kansas Press Association (Topeka, Kansas)

#81 AARYA KIRAN MEHENDALE

13 years old • 8th grade

Aarya is taking guitar lessons and loves jamming with his younger brother.

St. Paul Catholic School • WCPO 9 (Florence, Kentucky)

Anna has seven older siblings.

#82 ANNA THERESA MERCY GREENWELL

14 years old • 8th grade

John Paul II Catholic School • Visit Hopkinsville (Hopkinsville, Kentucky)

Ian is a selfdescribed major soccer nerd.

#83 IAN JIE-MING GIBSON

14 years old • 8th grade

Bowling Green Junior High School • Visit Hopkinsville (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Joshua has unique eyebrows.

#84 JOSHUA ELIJAH BULLEN

13 years old • 7th grade

Hopkinsville Middle School • Visit Hopkinsville (Hopkinsville, Kentucky)

Oliviah sings in her church’s worship team.

#85 OLIVIAH HOPE BRAUN

12 years old • 6th grade

Braun Homeschool Academy • University of Kentucky - College of Education (Lexington, Kentucky)

Zachary is learning Mandarin.

#86 ZACHARY RARA

13 years old • 7th grade

Meyzeek Middle School • Louisville Free Public Library (Louisville, Kentucky)

Hi-Tai loves to observe and photograph bugs.

#87 HI-TAI JULIANA LU

14 years old • 8th grade

Glasgow Middle School • Capitol Area Region (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Autographs

#88 AIDEN PHAM

14 years old • 8th grade

Aiden is an altar server at his local church.

Scott Middle School • Kiwanis Club of Lafayette & Arcadiana (Lafayette, Louisiana)

Paranika will decorate anything, anywhere, anytime.

#89 PARANIKA ETHAKOTA

9 years old • 3rd grade

T.S. Cooley Elementary School • SagamoreHill Broadcasting, LLC (Lake Charles, Louisiana)

Nayara helped raise six ducklings: Tater-tot, Sunny-side-up, Jim, Frank, Monks and Basil.

#90 NAYARA SONALI DE SILVA-AHMED

14 years old • 8th grade

Metairie Park Country Day School • New Orleans Chapter of The Links (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Autographs

Sanil is the Elementary Magnet to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

#91 SANIL SAVITA THORAT

8 years old • 3rd grade • Louisiana State University Shreveport (Shreveport, Louisiana)

Meet the Spellers

Evan plays three instruments: piano, guitar and drums.

#92 EVAN THANH-DUY TRIEU

13 years old • 8th grade

St. Brigid School • Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, Maine)

Quint likes to create his own fake sports leagues and simulate games, statistics and tournaments.

#93 QUINT MARKUS KARLSSON

12 years old • 6th grade

Crofton Middle School • Anne Arundel County Public Schools (Annapolis, Maryland)

Autographs

June likes to make things with a Cricut.

#94 JUNE KEATLEY

10 years old • 4th grade

St. James Academy • Maryland Sports (Baltimore, Maryland)

Su is learning Spanish on Duolingo.

#95 SU THIRI HLAING

13 years old • 7th grade

Saint Peter’s School • The Meakem Group (Bethesda, Maryland)

Navya loves learning new languages, such as French, Chinese and Korean.

#96 NAVYA DWIVEDI

13 years old • 7th grade

Clarksville Middle School • Howard County Library (Columbia, Maryland)

Chase has raised his pet ball python from a hatchling and plans on breeding her within the next year.

#97 CHASE WILLIAM CAMUTI

11 years old • 5th grade

Glade Elementary School • Frederick County Public Libraries (Frederick, Maryland)

Aidan loves sour candy and can consume an ungodly number of Lemonheads.

#98 AIDAN MIGUEL COBOS

13 years old • 7th grade

Milton M. Somers Middle School • Charles County Public Schools (La Plata, Maryland)

Conor enjoys playing with his 1-year-old brother and recently taught him to play catch.

#99 CONOR ALEXANDER

KEIGHTLEY-REINHARDT

14 years old • 8th grade

• University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Maryland)

Autographs

the Spellers

Tanoshi has roughly 600 diecast cars, and his favorite is a 2008 Toyota Alphard that is 1/59 scale.

#100 TANOSHI INOMATA

11 years old • 5th grade

F. Lyman Winship Elementary School • Boston Centers for Youth & Families (Boston, Massachusetts)

Adarsh’s record for solving a 2x2 Rubik’s Cube is 10 seconds.

#101 ADARSH REDDY VENKANNAGARI

10 years old • 5th grade

Paul P. Gates Elementary School • The Daily Item (Lynn, Massachusetts)

Josephine was born in Paris, France, and lived there until she was 3 years old.

#102 JOSEPHINE NELLA GAUTIER

12 years old • 6th grade

Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School • The Martha’s Vineyard Times (Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts)

Adyson has three cats: a Bengal named Cinci and two tabbies named Boots and Luna.

#103 ADYSON LYNN GIFFORD

13 years old • 7th grade

Wyandot Middle School • Macomb Intermediate School District (Clinton Township, Michigan)

Autographs

Divya has been training in Hindustani classical music for the past three years.

#104 DIVYA CHOUDHARY

10 years old • 5th grade

Canton Charter Academy • WXYZ Channel 7 (Detroit, Michigan)

Joshua is one of two people in his family born in the United States rather than the Philippines.

#105 JOSHUA LINO DIOCARES

14 years old • 8th grade

Ridge Park Charter Academy • Kent Intermediate School District (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Carter’s favorite historical

Einstein due to his combination of intelligence

#106 CARTER JAMES TUTHILL

13 years old • 8th grade

Milwood Magnet School • Kalamazoo Experiential Learning Center (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Autographs

Calvin likes to crochet.

#107 CALVIN GIDEON PRATT

13 years old • 8th grade

Imlay City Middle School • The County Press (Lapeer, Michigan)

Meet the Spellers

Ara plays saxophone, and it is also his favorite word.

#108 ARA JOSEPH SWIATLOWSKI

11 years old • 6th grade

Mason County Central Middle School • West Shore Educational Service District (Ludington, Michigan)

Karissa is currently learning Italian.

#109 KARISSA JOLYN MEASEL

14 years old • 8th grade

Christ Lutheran School • The Herald Palladium (St. Joseph, Michigan)

Autographs

Once at sailing camp, Rhys was knocked into the water by a pole on the sail.

#110 RHYS JEFFERSON MILLER

14 years old • 8th grade

Traverse City West Middle School • Traverse City Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Michigan)

Aryan has been practicing Indian classical music for the past seven years, singing Hindustani music.

#111 ARYAN RAHUL KHEDKAR

13 years old • 8th grade

Baker Middle School • Oakland Schools Education Foundation (Waterford, Michigan)

Yupeng began playing violin at age 4 and now plays in the Duluth Superior Symphony Youth Orchestra.

#112 YUPENG CHEN

14 years old • 8th grade

Ordean East Middle School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (Duluth, Minnesota)

Kai enjoys making mini magnifying glass.

#113 KAI JOHN RIEDNER

11 years old • 6th grade

Minnetonka Middle School West • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (Excelsior, Minnesota)

Jacob is a big fan of The Hardy Boys book series.

#114 JACOB AUGUST

WARNER

12 years old • 7th grade

Kennedy Secondary School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (Fergus Falls, Minnesota)

Jaden has perfect pitch.

#115 JADEN GABRIEL GO

13 years old • 7th grade

Sacred Heart School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (Grand Forks, Minnesota)

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Elijah likes dipping French fries in ranch.

#116 ELIJAH DEE ELLEDGE

12 years old • 6th grade

Immanuel Lutheran School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (North Mankato, Minnesota)

Roberto knows and capital city of every country in the world.

#117 ROBERTO NOVIS VILLASBOAS

13 years old • 7th grade

St. Francis of Assisi School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (Rochester, Minnesota)

William has never met a dog he didn’t like.

#118 WILLIAM DAVID RAUSCH

13 years old • 8th grade

Royalton Middle School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (Royalton, Minnesota)

Autographs

Holland has a pet peacock.

#119 HOLLAND VOGEL

14 years old • 8th grade

Murray County Central School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (Slayton, Minnesota)

F U n F FA Ct

Leyla is a jazz dancer.

#120 LEYLA WARDA JACOBSON

13 years old • 7th grade

North Junior High School • The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (St. Cloud, Minnesota)

Autographs

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Azariah can play both piano and trumpet by ear.

#121 AZARIAH DE WAYNE GREEN

11 years old • 6th grade

Hernando Middle School • C Spire Foundation (Columbus, Mississippi)

David can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 45 seconds.

#122 DAVID ALEXANDER HEYMAN

12 years old • 7th grade

Caledonia Middle School • C Spire Foundation (Columbus, Mississippi)

Meet the Spellers

Aanya won the state Science Olympiad competition for Experimental Design.

#123 AANYA SHETTY

13 years old • 8th grade

John Warner Middle School • Columbia Missourian (Columbia, Missouri)

#124 GARRETT WILLIAM FRY

14 years old • 8th grade

Delta Woods Middle School • Mid-Continent Public Library (Independence, Missouri)

Autographs

Mariah is the exact middle child in a family

#125 MARIAH KATE COFFEY

13 years old • 7th grade

• Raymore-Peculiar School District (Peculiar, Missouri)

Scott has Asperger’s syndrome.

#126 SCOTT ARON TINGLE

13 years old • 7th grade

• Three Garrett supports the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, the Lightning and the Milwaukee

Kunal has played six sports: tennis, basketball, cricket, swimming, martial arts and soccer.

#127 KUNAL ROSHAN PATEL

11 years old • 6th grade

Cedar Ridge Intermediate School • A.C.E.S. (Rolla, Missouri)

Ellie once broke a microwave.

#128 ELOISE KATE WATTENBARGER

14 years old • 8th grade

Hamilton Middle School • Mosaic Life Care Foundation (St. Joseph, Missouri)

Sonia loves magic and is considering a part-time career as an illusionist.

#129 SONIA BABUL KULKARNI

13 years old • 8th grade

John Burroughs School • Saint Louis University (St. Louis, Missouri)

Cheyenne could solve four different types of Rubik’s Cubes by age 6.

#130 CHEYENNE XIAORAN WANG

12 years old • 6th grade

St. Joseph Elementary and Middle School • Montana Television Network (Bozeman, Montana)

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Sarah is a piano prodigy with perfect pitch who played at Carnegie Hall and as a soloist with an orchestra.

#131 SARAH GRACE FERNANDES

12 years old • 6th grade

St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic School • Omaha Sports Commission (Omaha, Nebraska)

Arabella is left-handed but plays the guitar right-handed.

#132 ARABELLA MENDOZA

12 years old • 6th grade

Bethlehem Lutheran School • The Public Education Foundation (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Bella has traveled to 16 different countries.

#133 BELLA CLAIRE MY NGUYEN

14 years old • 8th grade

St. Francis de Sales Catholic School • The Public Education Foundation (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Amritanshu is in possession of a set of prehistoric shark teeth.

#134 AMRITANSHU PRADHAN

14 years old • 8th grade

Amherst Middle School • New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, New Hampshire)

Autographs

Adi is an author with two books published on Amazon, the Woods” and “Frutas y Vegetales.”

#135 ADITYA JAGAN MOHAN

12 years old • 6th grade

Franklin Middle School • Somerset County Library System of NJ (Bridgewater, New Jersey)

Olivia wants to live in England one day and obtain a British accent.

#136 OLIVIA RHEE

14 years old • 8th grade

Lewis F. Cole Middle School • Bergen County Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs (Hackensack, New Jersey)

Autographs

Kavya’s favorite sport is volleyball because it helps her relax when she feels stressed.

#137 KAVYA SATYAMKUMAR JAKASANIA

14 years old • 8th grade

Frank R. Conwell, Middle School #4 • Hudson (Jersey City, New Jersey)

Mariam enjoys baking different types of cookies in her spare time.

#138 MARIAM BELKOUCHI

14 years old • 8th grade

Maarif School • Sidelines and Stages (Maplewood, New Jersey)

Meet the Spellers

Harini has been learning Indian classical music since she was 5 years old.

#139 HARINI MURALI

12 years old • 7th grade

Woodrow Wilson Middle School • Press Communications (Neptune, New Jersey)

Juliette played the role of Gill in her school’s “Finding Nemo” musical last year.

#140 JULIETTE GRACE MAY ANDERSON

13 years old • 7th grade

Santa Fe Preparatory School • The Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Autographs

Reed enjoys reading classic literature.

#141 REED JENSEN FUCHS

14 years old • 8th grade

The Alternative School for Math and Science • Corning Rotary Club (Corning, New York)

Eli is very athletic.

#142 ELI JEFFREY MCNAIR

13 years old • 8th grade

South Middle School • Orange-Ulster BOCES (Goshen, New York)

Noah built a rollercoaster out of Lego.

#143 NOAH ADAM KAPLAN

12 years old • 7th grade

Van Wyck Junior High School • SNSB Region Four Bee (Hopewell Junction, New York)

Olivia had published two books by the time elementary school.

#144 OLIVIA LIPIEC

13 years old • 7th grade

Accompsett Middle School • ScholarSkills for STARS (New Windsor, New York)

#145 YY LIANG

12 years old • 7th grade

YY is learning shooting from nine-time world champion Eric Grauffel.

YY Homeschool • ScholarSkills for STARS (New Windsor, New York)

Victor likes to code in Python and is learning C++.

#146 ZELONG YANG

12 years old • 6th grade

Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School • ScholarSkills for STARS (New Windsor, New York)

Autographs

the Spellers

Anna is an immigrant, who is now a U.S. citizen.

Jay will sing at the Met Opera’s production of “El Niño” at the Lincoln Center this spring.

#147 ANNA KORNEEVA

13 years old • 8th grade

P.S./I.S. 95 The Gravesend School • NYC Department of Education (New York, New York)

#148 JAY NAYAK

9 years old • 4th grade

Hunter College Elementary School • NYC Department of Education (New York, New York)

Ryan has perfect pitch and can identify any note by ear.

#149 RYAN CREARY

13 years old • 8th grade

Penn Yan Middle School • Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES (Newark, New York)

Nyarah’s name means “with utmost purpose.”

#150 NYARAH SKYE GARVER

12 years old • 7th grade

Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School • The Daily Star (Oneonta, New York)

Autographs

Leah loves “Cats” the musical and plays piano arrangements of the songs.

#151 LEAH MARIE RINI

12 years old • 7th grade

Beekmantown Middle School • Champlain Valley Educational Services (Plattsburgh, New York)

Simran grew a full foot in height during the pandemic.

#152 SIMRAN SANDERS

13 years old • 7th grade

Jamesville-Dewitt Middle School • The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York)

Micah trains as a soccer goalie with the Olympic Development Program in New York.

#153 MICAH RICHARD STERLING

11 years old • 6th grade

General Brown Junior-Senior High School • Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, New York)

#154 AISHWARYA KALLAKURI

13 years old • 7th grade

Autographs

Aishwarya can recite many Vedic hymns from memory.

Valor Preparatory Academy • Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Meet the Spellers

Ananya likes to make word play jokes and songs to remember the words.

#155 ANANYA RAO PRASSANNA

13 years old • 7th grade

Davis Drive Middle School • Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Harini has amassed a huge collection of miniatures.

#156 HARINI JAYAKUMAR

11 years old • 6th grade

The Brawley School • Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Autographs

Phaneendra books because books bore him.

#157 PHANEENDRA VENKATA SAI BULUSU

12 years old • 6th grade

Harris Road Middle School • Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Johannes is half-Trinidadian and got “Trinidadian” as one of his words in his school spelling bee this year.

#158 JOHANNES KENZO ROXBURGH

13 years old • 7th grade

Voyager Academy • Duke University (Durham, North Carolina)

Angelo loves programming and created a spelling bee simulator in the programming language Scratch to help him study.

#159 ANGELO SEI ALDOPH

14 years old • 8th grade

R. Max Abbott Middle School • Cumberland County Schools (Fayetteville, North Carolina)

Like his father and great-grandfather, Ethan plays both the alto and tenor saxophone.

#160 ETHAN CARTER DUNLAP

12 years old • 8th grade

Overhills Middle School • Harnett County Schools (Lillington, North Carolina)

Orrin streams Minecraft weekly on Twitch.

#161 ORRIN YIU-SING LAM

14 years old • 8th grade

McGee’s Crossroads Middle School • Johnston County Public Schools

Luna began practicing Brazilian jiujitsu this year.

#162 LUNA SARA GASEVIC

14 years old • 8th grade

Ben Franklin Middle School • ND Association of County Superintendents (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Zach has been to 25 states as well as Bermuda.

#163 ZACHARY DANIEL YEAGER

13 years old • 7th grade

Chippewa Junior/Senior High School • Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

Meredith has visited 40 of the 63 U.S. National Parks and hopes to visit them all.

#164 MEREDITH ELISE DUNLAP

13 years old • 7th grade

Fairland Middle School • Ohio University College of Business (Athens, Ohio)

Ryan loves movies and hopes to write and direct them one day.

#165 RYAN SEAN FRAZEE

15 years old • 8th grade

Wheelersburg Middle School • Ohio University College of Business (Athens, Ohio)

#166 LOGAN COX

14 years old • 8th grade

Logan’s birthday falls on National Pinball Day.

Claymont Middle School • The Repository (Canton, Ohio)

Autographs

#167 EMILY ROSE CASTILLA

13 years old • 7th grade

St. Michael Elementary School • WCPO 9 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Emily loves to experiment in the kitchen; her favorite things to bake are cake pops and macarons.

Avinav is a black belt in tae kwon do, with over 100 nationally and internationally.

#168 AVINAV PREM ANAND

13 years old • 7th grade

Olentangy Orange Middle School • SNSB Region Two Bee (Columbus, Ohio)

Autographs

#169 DARREN PRINCE-WRIGHT

13 years old • 8th grade

Darren loves swimming, especially in the ocean when waves are breaking.

West Geauga Middle School • ESC of the Western Reserve (Concord Township , Ohio)

Aurora shoots a recurve bow on her archery team and brings Gilbert the Good Luck Duck to competitions.

#170 AURORA OTTILIE SPISAK

13 years old • 7th grade

Hadley E. Watts Middle School • Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio)

Meet the Spellers

Cayley Anne constantly listens to musical soundtracks, such as “Six,” “Mean Girls” and “Wicked.”

#171 CAYLEY ANNE

DENISE ANDERSON

14 years old • 8th grade

North Ridgeville Academic Center • Educational Service Center of Lorain County (Elyria, Ohio)

Ope loves to play Scrabble with her family.

#172 OPEMIPO PEARL BALOGUN

13 years old • 8th grade

Shawnee Middle School • The Lima News (Lima, Ohio)

Autographs

Marissa plays musical instruments.

#173 MARISSA ELIZABETH GATEWOOD

13 years old • 7th grade

Salem Junior High School • Salem News, East Liverpool Review and The Morning Journal (Lisbon, Ohio)

Enzo is the oldest child of four.

#174 JUAN ENZO ASTORGA

11 years old • 5th grade

Belpre Elementary School • The Marietta Times (Marietta, Ohio)

Drake loves American history.

#175 DRAKE FINNICUM

14 years old • 8th grade

Bellaire Middle School • The Times Leader (Martins Ferry, Ohio)

Brheanna loves to sing.

#176 BRHEANNA DAIZ BOYLES

12 years old • 5th grade

Buckeye South Elementary School • The Herald-Star (Steubenville, Ohio)

Advait is languages: English, Tamil, Hindi, Spanish and Telugu.

#177 ADVAIT NISHIT

14 years old • 8th grade

Incarnate Word Academy • SNSB Region Two Bee (Strongsville, Ohio)

Kendall loves to bake, specializing in pies and cakes.

#178 KENDALL JO MEHL

12 years old • 6th grade

Otsego Junior High School • The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Joey created and acted in a

“The Extractor.”

#179 JOSEPH STANLEY CONSTANTINE

• 8th grade • Inc. (Youngstown, Ohio)

Spanish and French.

#181 NICOLAS REENS

• 6th grade

Autographs

Adora swears that if you eat a grape after fried chicken.

#180 ADORA ERXIA ZHANG

• 8th grade

Rubina writes a birds because poetry and bird watching.

#182 RUBINA WIEDEMER

• 8th grade

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U n F FA Ct

Charan is mad about math and takes part in competitions like Mathcounts.

#183 SURYA CHARAN GARIMELLA

14 years old • 8th grade

Owen J. Roberts Middle School • Chester County Intermediate Unit (Downingtown, Pennsylvania)

Autographs

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Akshaj’s favorite dessert is cookies and ice cream.

#184 AKSHAJ SOMISETTY

12 years old • 7th grade

Mountain View Middle School • WITF Public Media (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Indigo is currently learning Japanese.

#185 INDIGO SATKO

13 years old • 8th grade Wissahickon Middle School • Pennsylvania State Education Association and Council for the Advancement of Public Schools (Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania)

Meet the Spellers

As an Orthodox Jew, Hillel is proud to represent his community at the Bee.

#186 HILLEL N. ZISKIND

14 years old • 8th grade

The Grayson School • Delaware County Intermediate Unit (Morton, Pennsylvania)

Jayden could spell before he learned to talk in full sentences.

#187 JAYDEN JIANG

10 years old • 4th grade

Philadelphia Performing Art Charter School • WHYY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Autographs

Leul is very fond of Chickits spicy chicken sandwich.

#188 LEUL GEREMEW

13 years old • 8th grade

William Davies Middle School • WHYY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Raana likes to try all types of different foods, and he aims to try crab and lobster dishes while in D.C. for Bee Week.

#189 RAANA PARCHURI

14 years old • 8th grade

Fort Couch Middle School • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Daniel’s favorite musician is Frédéric Chopin.

#190 DANIEL YUO KIM

13 years old • 7th grade

Assumption BVM School • Schuylkill Technology Center (Pottsville, Pennsylvania)

Aaditya grows his hair and donates it toward the cleaning of petrochemicals and oils from water bodies.

#191 AADITYA AIYER

14 years old • 8th grade

Clinton Township Middle School • Diamond City Sports (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)

Mariana is a big anime fan— she hopes to learn Japanese and visit Japan one day.

#192 MARIANA ITZEL P ÉREZ GONZ ÁLEZ

14 years old • 8th grade

Radians School • Eureka Enrichment Services, Inc. (San Juan, Puerto Rico)

Elliana has helped foster 35 cats and kittens in need over the past four years.

#193 ELLIANA GRACE PAGLIARINI

11 years old • 5th grade

Hope Elementary School • The Valley Breeze (Lincoln, Rhode Island)

Autographs

Cate was

#194 EVA CATHERINE

#195 MALLORY MORGAN GREENE

Autographs

#196 CONNOR PATRICK NORTON

#197 LOGAN AMERICUS EDWARDS

Andy loves singing karaoke.

#198 ANDY VINH LAU

14 years old • 8th grade

Gaffney Middle School • USC Upstate (Spartanburg, South Carolina)

Rayaan is a big fan of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

#199 RAYAAN AHMAD

13 years old • 7th grade

George S. Mickelson Middle School • University of South Dakota (Vermillion, South Dakota)

Autographs

Josh aspires to set up his own space station on Mars by the year 2040.

#200 JASHIT VERMA

9 years old • 3rd grade

Farmington Elementary School • University of Memphis (Memphis, Tennessee)

Leila has traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

#201 LEILA AMELIE MCLAURIN

14 years old • 8th grade

Sacred Heart Cathedral School • Tennessee Titans (Nashville, Tennessee)

Meet the Spellers

#202 MINA CHEN

Mina has traveled to United States: Taiwan, Japan,

14 years old • 8th grade • Tennessee Titans (Nashville, Tennessee)

Sariah likes

#203 SARIAH LANEE TITUS

11 years old • 6th grade

Autographs

Jayden visited

Tarini enjoys gardening with

#204 JAYDEN ZHENG

14 years old • 8th grade

#205 TARINI NANDAKUMAR

13 years old • 7th grade

Anthony’s birthday is on the same day as his favorite holiday, Día de los Muertos.

#206 ANTHONY MICHAEL REYES

14 years old • 8th grade

Paul R. Haas Middle School • KRIS Communications (Corpus Christi, Texas)

Faizan has a twin sister, Zara, who also made it to the district spelling bee this year.

#207 FAIZAN ZAKI

12 years old • 6th grade

Rice Middle School • Dallas Sports Commission (Dallas, Texas)

Sriya has read the Harry Potter series more than 10 times.

#208 SRIYA GOMATAM

14 years old • 8th grade

Coppell Middle School North • Dallas Sports Commission (Dallas, Texas)

Chioma likes doing crochet.

#209 CHIOMA PEARL EGBUONU

14 years old • 8th grade

St. Raphael Catholic School • EPISD Education Foundation (El Paso, Texas)

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Tanya acted in the “Go Iguanas!” web series on the “Premiere” app and played Marilla in “Anne of Green Gables.”

#210 TANYA KADARU

13 years old • 8th grade

George Dawson Middle School • Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas)

Ishika loves writing, and her favorite writing style is personal narrative writing.

#211 ISHIKA NANDINI VARIPILLI

13 years old • 8th grade

Creekside Park Junior High School • Houston Community College (Houston, Texas)

Kirsten is the violinist of her school orchestra.

#212 KIRSTEN TIFFANY SANTOS

13 years old • 8th grade

International Leadership of Texas Katy K-8 • Houston Community College (Houston, Texas)

Vir is a black belt in

#213 VIR VISHAL LAGAD

11 years old • 5th grade

Jim & Pam Wells Elementary School • Houston Community College (Houston, Texas)

Autographs

tae kwon do.

Alejandro is a triplet with one brother and one sister.

#214 ALEJANDRO EMMANUEL MARTINEZ

13 years old • 7th grade

Raul Perales Middle School • Laredo Morning Times (Laredo, Texas)

Michael likes to do Michael Jackson’s moonwalk dance at school parties.

#215 MICHAEL TESFAYE

13 years old • 7th grade

Christ The King Cathedral School • Ramar Communications (Lubbock, Texas)

Caleb wants to own a pipe organ one day.

#216 CALEB LEVI GIUOCO

13 years old • 7th grade

South Middle School • Rio Grande Valley AIM Media Texas (McAllen, Texas)

Autographs

Shreeya’s favorite pastime is building with Lego.

#217 SHREEYA SIVAKUMAR

13 years old • 7th grade

Young Women’s Leadership Academy • Midland Reporter-Telegram (Midland, Texas)

Meet the Spellers

Jaynard loves peach mango pie and fried chicken from Jollibee.

#218 JAYNARD BUTAC QUIRAY

11 years old • 5th grade

Odessa Christian School • Ector County Independent School District (Odessa, Texas)

Kooper has played travel baseball since he was 7 years old.

#219 KOOPER REIN MIKESKA

11 years old • 6th grade

Irion County Elementary School • TCP Software (San Angelo, Texas)

Autographs

Siyona is learning tae kwon do, and she is aiming for her black belt.

#220 SIYONAMITHRA KANDALA

12 years old • 6th grade

Keystone School • University of Texas at San Antonio - College of Education & Human Development (San Antonio, Texas)

Lucas has played piano for eight years, saxophone for three years and bass for about a year.

#221 LUCAS YOXIN LEE

13 years old • 8th grade

Travis Middle School • Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas)

#222 AARAV SARGURUNATHAN

12 years old • 7th grade

Aarav likes coding with his robotics team, and it is the 2024 Texas Engineering Excellence Champion.

Joseph’s favorite food is chicken alfredo.

#223 JOSEPH GREAUX

14 years old • 8th grade

Eulalie R. Rivera K-8 School • The Virgin Islands Daily News (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)

Wellborn Middle School • Rapoport Holdings, LLC (Waco, Texas)

Sasha won the 2023 Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest for her drawing of a wood duck

#224 SASHA KENLON

11 years old • 6th grade

Weilenmann School of Discovery • The Park Record (Park City, Utah)

Cadi has written and acted in a number of skits for her school’s TV network.

#225 CADI BRIGITA HEATON

14 years old • 8th grade

Mont Harmon Middle School • Southeast Education Service Center (Price, Utah) Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Brooke has begun to tinker around on BMX bikes with her dad, who has experience competing in the sport.

#226 BROOKE POWELL

13 years old • 7th grade

Martlet Spring Homeschool • The City Journals (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Sophia is really good at whistling.

#227 SOPHIA BELLA MONTANA

12 years old • 6th grade

Daybreak Elementary School • The City Journals (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Phoenix shares her name with her sister, who is two weeks older than her.

#228 PHOENIX AURELIA NEWELL

12 years old • 6th grade

Riverside School • Vermont Principals Association (Rutland, Vermont)

Oviya was born in California but has never lived there.

#229 OVIYA AMALRAJ

13 years old • 7th grade

J. Michael Lunsford Middle School • Loudoun County Public Schools (Ashburn, Virginia)

Autographs

Last year, Claire successfully completed an annual event that challenges participants to write a 50,000word novel in one month.

#230 CLAIRE MEI MENG

12 years old • 7th grade

Lakeside Middle School • SNSB Region Four Bee (Charlottesville, Virginia)

Dante has had many interesting pets, including a chameleon named Camo and a bearded dragon named Spyro.

#231 DANTE LEON PAULEY

14 years old • 8th grade

Tunstall Middle School • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Danville Area (Danville, Virginia)

Autographs

Daphne’s astrological sun sign is in Virgo.

Antony visited Egypt when he was 2 years old.

#232 DAPHNE ANASTASIA RENO

13 years old • 8th grade

• Central Rappahannock Regional Library (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

#233 ANTONY MICHAEL ELGOHARY

14 years old • 8th grade

Montevideo Middle School • Rockingham District Ruritans (Harrisonburg, Virginia)

Meet the Spellers

Siya likes to sketch still life and people.

#234 SIYA AASHIRYA SAMPATH

9 years old • 5th grade

J.W. Alvey Elementary School • InsideNoVa/

Prince William (Manassas, Virginia)

Ankita loves reading books and watching movies multiple times.

#235 ANKITA BALAJI

13 years old • 7th grade

Rachel Carson Middle School • Fairfax County

Autographs

#236 NARGIZA MUZHAPAER

13 years old • 7th grade

Nargiza is an experienced calligrapher with an extensive variety of writing styles under her belt.

Pinnacle Academy • Fairfax County

In the last year, Rohith learned to play the saxophone.

#237 ROHITH VENKATA

KONDURI

14 years old • 8th grade

Norfolk Academy • WHRO Public Media (Norfolk, Virginia)

Audrey knows a lot of facts about betta

#238 AUDREY PAGE LEE

13 years old •

Declan’s favorite

Conway invented “Conway’s

#240 DECLAN LOUIS MALLADY

11 years old

Walker’s record 3x3 Rubik’s seconds

#239 GABRIEL WALKER WILSON

13 years old

#241

served as a House of

DEAN MASON RYAN

14 years old

Town Hall

Autographs

Meet the Spellers

Isaac plays lead guitar in a band.

#242 ISAAC THOMAS BOYCE

14 years old • 8th grade

Bridgeport Middle School • The Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram (Clarksburg, West Virginia)

Aiden received black belt in tae kwon do in 2022.

#243 AIDEN DEVMINA WIJEYAKULASURIYA

13 years old • 8th grade

Blessed Sacrament School • Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin)

Nethraa can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under two minutes.

#244 NETHRAA MUTHUPANDIYARAJA

13 years old • 8th grade

Forest Park Middle School • Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin)

Eli built a pinball machine out of wood.

#245 ELIJAH JAMES JERNIGAN

13 years old • 7th grade

Kemmerer Junior Senior High School • Sweetwater County BOCES (Rock Springs, Wyoming)

Autographs

DR. JACQUES BAILLY

Pronouncer

DR. BRIAN SIETSEMA

Associate pronouncer

MARY BROOKS

Head judge

Meet the Officials and Word Panelists

DR. KAVYA SHIVASHANKAR

Officials and word panelists perform various roles throughout the year, including as judges, record keepers, pronouncers and content creators and reviewers.

CHRISTIAN AXELGARD

SAMEER MISHRA

GEORGIA SCURLETIS

FRANK CAHILL

DR. KEVIN MOCH

KRISTIN HAWKINS

Autographs

GEORGE THAMPY

PETER SOKOLOWSKI

MIRLE SHIVASHANKAR

JANE SOLOMON

BARRIE TRINKLEBEN ZIMMER

the Scripps National Spelling Bee Team

CORRIE LOEFFLER

Executive director

MOLLY BECKER

Director, editorial

TYLER HYDE Brand strategy manager

MAGGIE LORENZ Editorial manager

CYBELLE WEEKS

Senior director, program operations

RIDDLE Director, sales & marketing

KIM HARP Development manager

Autographs

TAMMY

Editorial manager

Program specialist

EMILY HARE

Editorial coordinator

Autographs

Meet the Scripps National Spelling Bee Team

Program specialist

Regional partner relations specialist

Administrative assistant

AKSHAY AHUJA

JULIA FERMIER

SHARISSE VERNELLE SANTOS

HALEY GOETZ

BRYAN WITT

Meet the College Crew

Boston University

Texas Christian University

University of Florida

Northeastern University

Pennsylvania State University

University of Florida

AMELIA BALLINGALL

NATALIE CROSS

SURYA DODIA

AMMAAR MOHAMMED

VANESSA CHAVEZ ACEVEDO

SYDNEY ASLAN

Duke University

Loyola Marymount University

University of Maryland, College Park

Harvard University

Ohio University

Autographs

SADIE STORM

MOLLY TAYLOR

TARA SINGH

JOSEPHINE SPANIER

SAKETH SUNDAR

Meet the Spellebrities

Television

DEV SHAH 2023 champion

VANYA SHIVASHANKAR Bee Week emcee

PAUL LOEFFLER

analyst