PHOTOS: Middle School Spelling Bee Spotlights Talented Tartan Spellers

Taking on words like oleander, flambeau, proboscis and verbomania, 20 Middle School students put their spelling skills to the test in front of their peers at the annual Middle School Spelling Bee in Hurlbut Theater.

It took six rounds to identify the final three spellers to participate in the championship round, spelling words from the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee Association list. In the end, grade 8 student Alex Kenny was the overall winner after spelling “endorphin” correctly. Grade 7 student Ronin McMahon placed second, and grade 8 student Ali Botuchis finished third.

All three will move on to the Orange County Spelling Bee written round, which will take place February 25 at the Orange County Department of Education. The written round will serve as a qualification for the oral round of the Orange County Spelling Bee on March 3.  

Middle School students took a qualification quiz in their English classes and the top 20 performers were invited to last week’s competition. Those participating included grade 6 students Emily Chen, Jackson Collins, Alexa Krall, Chase Ulrich, Tanner Evanson, Kent Chacon and Abigail Hancock, grade 7 students Ronin, Radley Copps, April Wen, Sammy Kushner, Sophia Bunnell and Rishabh Mallela, and grade 8 students Alex, Ali, Kaitlin Tam, Aili McGregor, Renee Yu, Kate Matthew and Sophia Karahalios.

The St. Margaret’s and Orange County spelling bees serve to encourage students to improve spelling and expand vocabularies, which positively affects reading and writing skills.