spelling bee

Fifteen students from Wicomico County Public Schools have been selected as spelling bee champions to compete in the 5th annual Maryland Eastern Shore Spelling Bee at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne. The winner of the Saturday, March 4 event at UMES will be the area’s representative at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.

UMES sponsors and hosts the regional bee, which will involve students from public schools and some private schools in Wicomico, Somerset, Dorchester and Worcester counties. The winner of the March 4 spelling bee will win a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee held in the Washington area in May. The winners of the first four Maryland Eastern Shore Spelling Bees were students in Wicomico County Public Schools: Bennett Middle (Khaled Mohamed), Wicomico Middle (two-time winner Gia Bautista), and Salisbury Middle (Maya Matava).

Each Wicomico County School with students grades 4-8 held classroom or team contests, and then a school-wide spelling bee. The winner of each of those competitions was named the school champion. That champion will participate in the March 4 regional bee. Each school also recognized a runner-up to serve as alternate for the Spelling Bee at UMES in case the school champion is unable to participate.

Congratulations to the 2017 spelling champions and alternates!

Delmar Elementary: Ethan Richardson (4^th) champion, Lily Baker (4^th) alternate

East Salisbury Elementary: Kas’Mier Williams (5^th) champion, Emily Organista (4^th) alternate

Fruitland Intermediate: Rhianna Denaque (5^th) champion, Andrea Chen (4^th) alternate

Glen Avenue Elementary: Monay Wilson (5^th) champion, Ryan Plaskon (5^th) alternate

North Salisbury Elementary: Aarna Lulla (5^th) champion, Emma Kossum (4^th) alternate

Northwestern Elementary: Tiffany Colon (4^th) champion, Alvin Rivera (5^th) alternate

Pemberton Elementary: Isabel Mena (5^th) champion, Landon Blumenthal (5^th) alternate

Pinehurst Elementary: Adrianna Pearson (5^th) champion, Jayden Welch (5^th) alternate

Prince Street Elementary: Hailey Soriano (5^th), champion. Alyssa Mitchell (5th), alternate.

Westside Intermediate: Jada Whyte (5^th) champion, Justin Rodgers (5^th), alternate

Pittsville Elementary and Middle: Leanna Morris (7^th) champion, Hailee Shrieves (8^th), alternate

Bennett Middle: Leah Osmon (8^th) champion, David Choi (8^th) alternate

Mardela Middle: Stacey Fisher (6^th) champion, Gage Daniel (7^th) alternate

Salisbury Middle: Rosy Gao (7^th) champion, Pratham Dhawan (6^th) alternate

Wicomico Middle: Kirsten Parsons (8^th) champion, Ava Bautista (7^th) alternate

The March 4 bee at UMES will begin at 10 a.m. and will be held in the Ella Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center. The bee is open to the public to attend, and teachers, classmates, school administrators, families and other supporters are invited to come support spellers in the bee. Ample parking is available in the parking lots adjacent to the Fitzgerald PAC.

In case of bad weather, parents, spellers and supporters can watch a special new website: www.umes.edu/bee or monitor UMES News Facebook for any last-minute changes or information.

UMES