Delaware’s top spellers compete at Scripps Regional Spelling Bee
The first-place Scripps Delaware Regional Spelling Bee trophy was nearly as tall as its recipient, Siara Husain, a sixth-grader from the Islamic Academy of Delaware in Newark, who stood onstage with a smile.
Fifty-two Delaware students in grades 4-8 represented their schools in the regional bee, which was hosted March 8 by First State Educate at the Delaware Tech Terry Campus in Dover. Three students from the Cape Henlopen School District competed: Cass Spinosa, fifth-grader at Love Creek Elementary; Mia Barnes, fifth-grader at Rehoboth Elementary; and Evan Ponen, fifth-grader at Milton Elementary.
“Remember, you are not competing against each other,” host Kerwin Gaines told the spellers. “You are competing against the words.”
Jasmyn Wright, an educator and the founder and CEO of the Push Through Organization, a nonprofit that aims to empower young learners, led the spellers through a guided affirmation prior to competing.
“What if it’s too hard?” Wright asked.
“I’m going to push through!” the students replied in unison, their hands moving forward in a pushing motion.
Indeed they did – and with poise. With every ring of the bell, which signaled an incorrect spelling, the speller at fault calmly left the stage.
All three Cape students made it past the first two rounds. Cass was eliminated in the third round for spelling “nonchalance” as “nonchalant,” and Mia was eliminated in the fourth round for incorrectly spelling “Walter Mitty.”
Evan was one of the final six standing but was knocked out in the sixth round after incorrectly spelling “gnocchi.”
In the seventh round, Siara correctly spelled “primadonna,” before then correctly spelling “codswallop,” the winning word. Aurelia Tran of Talley Middle School in Wilmington placed second, and Kshirja Chauhan of Caravel Academy in Bear placed third.
The three girls chatted and high-fived each other as they waited for the award ceremony. They each received a trophy and a check from First State Educate, and got a photo with Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten.
According to Siara, she was nervous going into the competition, but she’s even more nervous for what’s next: the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
She will be representing Delaware in the 100-year-old annual competition, which will take place in Washington, D.C., from Tuesday, May 27 through Thursday, May 29. The time-honored event attracts millions of viewers each year.
While only the first-place regional winner has the opportunity to compete in the national bee, Gaines and the other speakers emphasized that the act of qualifying for the regional competition in itself is impressive.
“It’s not about individual wins,” Gaines said. “Just being here is a win.”
Every speller received a certificate and medal for participating.
“All of you have pushed through,” Wright said, a nod to her earlier affirmation. “I saw the contestants clapping for each other and celebrating each other. And if you heard the bell, you walked away with grace. I am so proud of every speller.”
Also in attendance were Gov. Matt Meyer, Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Dover South, and representatives from several of the event’s partnering organizations, including Del Tech Vice President and Campus Director Paul Morris Jr., Dan Cruce of United Way of Delaware, Naim Collins of Parks and Recreation and Nicola Wedderburn of the International Literary Association.
Cory Hafer, the 2024 Delaware Teacher of the Year, was the bee pronouncer. There were six judges, including Logan Herring, Andre Boggerty, Jon Sheehan, Gerald Rocha, Stacy Lane and April Johnson.
“The studying, the hard work, the composure under pressure [are] really a testament to your tremendous maturity and hard work at such a young age,” Meyer told the spellers. “I want each of you to know that, as the governor of the state, your work gives me inspiration.”
