St. Mary’s Elementary School eighth-grader William Rogers outlasted 27 other champion spellers today to win the 27th annual Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee and earn a trip to the national competition later this year.
William correctly spelled the word “remonstrance” in the 13th round to win the title. Alyssa Hall of Annapolis Area Christian School finished second and three spellers – Anna Patterson of Annapolis Middle School, Storrie Kulynych-Irvin of the Chesapeake Bay Homeschool Association, and Isabelle Simmons of School of the Incarnation – tied for third.
The bee is a partnership of Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the 21st Century Education Foundation. This year’s event sponsor was the Josephine B. Scheffenacker Education Trust, and the champion sponsors were Educational Systems Federal Credit Union and Capital Gazette Communications.
William will represent Anne Arundel County at the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. 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 public private, charter, parochial, and homeschool officials.
All of today’s spellers received a medallion, certificate, and a prize bag that contains assorted gift items and a commemorative poster. The top three finishers each received trophies and additional prizes.
William also won a Merriam-Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and a Samuel Louis Sugarman Award certificate and savings bond donated by Jay Sugarman in honor of his father, a lifelong advocate of education.