Each year, middle school students from across the region compete for the opportunity to represent our area in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. This year's competition featured more than 40 spellers. Competition was fierce among these excellent spellers making for an exciting event.

The WHRO Public Media Spelling Bee will air on WHRO TV on April 1 at 2 p.m. 
Join us to see who is named as this year's champion.

Here are this year's competitors:

1Sam
Evan Anthony
6th Grade, St. Matthew’s Catholic School
Winning Word: carillon
noah larsen sm
Xynthia Anthony
7th Grade, Yorktown Middle School
Winning Word: pioneered
1keith
Shah Arezo
8th Grade, Hampton Roads Academy
Winning Word: architrave
1lui
Adalynn Barbeau
7th Grade, River Road Middle School
Winning Word: confiscated
1Katie Elder
Logan Binette
7th Grade, Elizabeth City Middle School
Winning Word: geopolitics
1Walter
Abrianna Blake
8th Grade, Norview Middle School
Winning Word: jinx
1Paige
Claire Boyle
8th Grade, Broadwater Academy
Winning Word: sleuthing
1 Zoe 1
Virginia (Ginny Lee) Brown
8th Grade, Georgie Tyler Middle School
Winning Word: tempo
1Rhena
Claire Browning
6th Grade, Cape Henry Collegiate School
Winning Word: breakneck
1Monica
Eden Castel
7th Grade, Smithfield Middle School
Winning Word: roulette
1Tameika
Niko Cochran
8th Grade, Star Of The Sea School
Winning Word: cyclosis
1Monica
Blake Cushman
6th Grade, Norfolk Collegiate School
Winning Word: urchins

1Khalid
Alexis Devers
8th Grade, Nansemond Suffolk Academy
Winning Word: caparisoned
1Monica
Skyler Duckworth
7th Grade, Poquoson Middle School
Winning Word: roulette
1keith
Catherine Fals
8th Grade, Hickory Middle School
Winning Word: gibbon
1Jose
Esther Gammill
8th Grade, Virginia Beach Middle School
Winning Word: configuration
1Alli
Jack Gibson
8th Grade, Peasley Middle School
Winning Word: intermittent
1Whitney
Zoe Hardy
6th Grade, Larkspur Middle School
Winning Word: canid
1Monica
Willow Hefflefinger
7th Grade, Stone Bridge School
Winning Word: plunder
1Igor
Colton Heilman
6th Grade, Atlantic Shores Christian School
Winning Word: balm
1Rhen
Nia Jeffries
6th Grade, Bayside Sixth Grade Campus
Winning Word: poppet
1William
Susanna Kidwell
6th Grade, St. Pius X School
Winning Word: counterfeit
1Nisha
Rohith Konduri
7th Grade, Norfolk Academy
Winning Word: barrister
1Nisha
Steven Kresovich
8th Grade, Page Middle School
Winning Word: acrid
1Nisha
Gabe Lancanlale
6th Grade, Lake Taylor Middle School
Winning Word: inlet
1Nisha
Andrew Lee
7th Grade, Academy for Discovery at Lakewood
Winning Word: Lyme
1Nisha
Chloe Murray
6th Grade, Greenbrier Enrichment Center & School
Winning Word: menacing
1Nisha
Joy Mutombo
8th Grade, Indian River Middle School
Winning Word: extraneous
1Nisha
Peyton Ndow
7th Grade, Plaza Middle School
Winning Word: insinuation
1Nisha
Leila Nista
8th Grade, Queens Lake Middle School
Winning Word: emigrate
1Nisha
Amarachukwusom Nwokoji
6th Grade, Landstown Middle School
Winning Word: flybys
1Nisha
Ivy O’Neil
8th Grade, Southampton Middle School
Winning Word: deviation
1Nisha
Arya Patel
8th Grade, Grafton Middle School
Winning Word: ruse
1Nisha
Liam Patton
6th Grade, Ann H. Kilgore Gifted Center
Winning Word: telenovelas
1Nisha
Memphis Perkins
6th Grade, Perkins Homeschool
Winning Word: flybys
1Nisha
Amani Prince
8th Grade, B.T. Washington Middle School
Winning Word: starboard
1Nisha
Iva Qauqau
8th Grade, Princess Anne Middle School
Winning Word: blunder
1Nisha
Victoria Roots
6th Grade, Westside Elementary School
Winning Word: starboard
1Nisha
Mihika Sakharpe
8th Grade, Old Donation School
Winning Word: frigid
1Nisha
Triniti Skipper
8th Grade, Western Branch Middle School
Winning Word: orca
1Nisha
Nina Terzic
6th Grade, Tabb Middle School
Winning Word: emblem
1Nisha
Siddhiksha Vibushnan
7th Grade, Great Neck Middle School
Winning Word: Chicago
1Nisha
Peyton Walter
6th Grade, Gloria Dei Lutheran School
Winning Word: beyond
1Nisha
Corey Zheng
7th Grade, Thomas Hunter Middle School
Winning Word: crevices
1Nisha
William Zieger
7th Grade, Hornsby Middle School
Winning Word: epidemiology