PHOENIX — C-o-n-g-r-a-t-u-l-a-t-i-o-n-s to two Arizona girls, who will be heading to Washington D.C. for the National Spelling Bee in May after finishing first and second in the Arizona Spelling Bee on Saturday.
Thirteen-year-old Aliyah Alpert, an eighth grader who is homeschooled in Yavapai County, took home the top prize at the Madison Center for the Arts in Phoenix. She spelled the word 'volemic' correctly to win the bee.
For those curious, 'volemic' means "of, relating to, or concerned with the volume of circulating blood or plasma," according to Merriam-Webster.
Thirteen-year-old Isabelle Garcia, who is in seventh grade at Kyrene de Pueblo Middle School in Chandler, came in second.
Eleven-year-old Esha Marupudi, a sixth-grader from BASIS Chandler, finished third, 14-year-old Ethan Knudson, an eighth-grader from Masada Charter School in Colorado City, finished fourth and 12-year-old Aneesh Kulkarni, a sixth-grader from Desert Trails Elementary in Phoenix, finished fifth.
Alpert and Garcia outspelled a total of 26 other contestants to earn spots in the National Spelling Bee, which will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just south of Washington D.C.
They also received $800 checks and the Arizona Educational Foundation will pay for their airfare to Washington D.C. and their hotel stay for the National Spelling Bee.
"It's thrilling and inspiring to see the dedication and determination of these students," Dr. Teresa Hill, the deputy director of the Arizona Educational Foundation and coordinator for the 2024 Arizona Spelling Bee said in a press release. "Being a champion speller takes thousands of hours of hard work, and it's exciting to see all of the students showcasing their talents at the bee."
The National Spelling Bee's 'Bee Week' will be held May 26-31. The preliminary rounds will be held on May 28 and the finals of the National Spelling Bee will be held on May 30.
The Arizona Spelling Bee has been put on by the Arizona Educational Foundation for the past 26 years and has one of the highest participation rates in the nation with 500,000 students competing from public, private, charter and home schools across the state, according to the press release mentioned above.
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