Wiley H. Bates Middle School eighth-grader Isabel Messina outlasted 24 other champion spellers Saturday to capture the title at the 30th annual Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee.
Isabel correctly spelled the word “fomorian” in the 24th round to win the championship. Reagan Jaikeran of Monsignor Slade Catholic School finished second, and Eli Fortier of Indian Creek School was third.
The county bee is a partnership of Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the 21st Century Education Foundation. This year’s presenting sponsor was Development Facilitators, Inc. The event sponsors were Buffalo Wild Wings, M&T Bank, NTA Life Insurance, and JMT Engineering. The champion sponsors for this year were Educational Systems Federal Credit Union and Daly Computers.
Isabel will represent Anne Arundel County at the 2018 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 Saturday’s spellers received a medallion, certificate, and a prize bag that contained assorted gift items and a commemorative poster. The top three finishers each received trophies and additional prizes.
Isabel also won an online subscription to 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.