Ninth Annual County Spelling Bee Friday

The Howard County Library System will host the ninth annual county-wide spelling bee at Reservoir High School on Friday night.

In total, 63 students from grades 4 through 8 will be competing. They come from 37 county elementary schools, 16 middle schools, nine private schools and a Columbia home school co-op, according to the bee’s organizers.

To view a full list of contestants and past winners check out the attached .PDF, below the photo.

Each student had to qualify for the county-wide contest by first winning their own schools’ spelling bee, according to Christie Lassen, director of public relations for the Howard County Library System.

She said the county-wide bee, which starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, normally runs until about 10 p.m., but could run later depending on how many rounds there are.

Last year’s champion was Jack Nolan, who at the time was an eighth grader at Mayfield Woods Middle School. Due to his age, he will no longer be able to compete in the event.

Among those competing this year is Mitsuki Ota, a seventh grader from Columbia Academy, who is in the county-wide bee for the fifth straight year, according to organizers.

The first place winner will receive a trophy, a $1,000 scholarship and a ticket to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, all expenses paid, in Washington D.C.

This year’s pronouncer will be school board member Ellen Flynn Giles and the head judge is County Council Member Courtney Watson.

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