Schools

Middle Schooler Wins Spelling Bee In Anne Arundel, Advances To National Competition

A middle schooler won the spelling bee in Anne Arundel County. She outlasted 27 other spellers and advanced to the national competition.

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Macarthur Middle School student Bella Van on Saturday won the 35th annual Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee. A sign outside the Anne Arundel County Public Schools headquarters is pictured above.
Macarthur Middle School student Bella Van on Saturday won the 35th annual Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee. A sign outside the Anne Arundel County Public Schools headquarters is pictured above. (Jacob Baumgart/Patch)

Press release from Anne Arundel County Public Schools:

March 13, 2023

Bella Van of Macarthur Middle School outlasted 27 other school level spellers Saturday to capture the title at the 35th annual Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee.

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Bella correctly spelled the word “obloquy,” which means “strongly condemnatory utterance,” in the 13th round to win the AACPS Spelling Bee championship. Briant Patterson of Crofton Middle School finished second and Ethan Jenkins of Monsignor Slade Catholic School was third.

Bella is the second consecutive MacArthur student to win the bee. Sélah Sutton took the title last year.

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The bee is presented annually by the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Office of Secondary Reading, English, & Integrated Literacy. This year’s presenting sponsors were Development Facilitators, Inc. (DFI) and Educational Systems Federal Credit Union. Event co-sponsors were Comcast, DALY Computers, M&T Bank, and Horace Mann. The champion sponsors for this year were American College of Education, Care First, National Teacher Association, Ricoh, and Whiting Turner.

Bella will represent Anne Arundel County in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.

Also competing in this year’s AACPS Countywide Spelling Bee were:

  • Annapolis Middle School: Audrey Yankus
  • Arundel Middle School: Fiyin Idris
  • Bates Middle School: Samaadi Scott
  • Brooklyn Park Middle School: Sophia Olds
  • Central Middle School: Bobby MacLeod
  • Chesapeake Bay Middle School: Robert Ramsey
  • Chesapeake Science Point: Elijah Borden
  • Corkran Middle School: Rachel Voytek
  • Indian Creek School: Kira Younger
  • Lindale Middle School: Beorn Moon
  • Magothy River Middle School: Drew Gish
  • Marley Middle School: Arianna Quasney
  • Meade Middle School: Gavin Lacey
  • Monarch Global Academy: Aisha Yusuff
  • Northeast Middle School: Josh Gepilano
  • Old Mill Middle School North: Chaniya Smith
  • Old Mill Middle School South: Zohal Safi
  • Severn River Middle School: Neve Stott
  • Severna Park Middle School: Samuel Sirotin
  • Southern Middle School: Danielle Huckleby
  • Andrew’s United Methodist Day School: Matthew Ferris
  • Anne’s School of Annapolis: Penelope Lindsay
  • Martin’s Lutheran School: Sadie Hetrick
  • Paul’s Lutheran School: Julian Weisman
  • Severn School: Alex St. John

    • The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a not-for-profit educational promotion sponsored by The E.W. Scripps Company in conjunction with businesses and community organizations around the world. Each sponsor organizes a spelling bee program in its community with the cooperation of area school officials: private, charter, parochial, public, and home schools. On behalf of Co-Coordinators Autumn Baltimore and Sarah Rippeon, they congratulate all of the spellers and their families.

    This press release was produced by Anne Arundel County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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