Eighth grade spelling bee champ from Monroe-Woodbury won regionals, will compete in Washington

Abhilash Patel, an eighth grader from Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, won the Orange-Ulster BOCES Regional Spelling Bee on March 15, competing with 14 other spellers from eight local schools. To prepare, spellers studied Words of the Champions, the 4,000-word study resource provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Patel now advances to compete in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer near Washington, D.C. The semifinals on June 1 and the finals on June 2 will be televised on national networks ION and Bounce and hosted by actor, director, educator and children’s literacy advocate LeVar Burton.

In addition to qualifying for the national finals, Patel also wins these prizes: A 2022 United States Mint Proof Set, the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, provided by Jay Sugarman, chairman and CEO of iStar Financial, in honor of his father. Patel will receive the prize in the summer.⦁ A one-year subscription for Britannica Online Premium, the premier online resource from Encyclopædia Britannica.⦁ A one-year subscription for the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, the official word source for all levels of competition for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.⦁ A first prize plaque and ribbon donated by Orange County School Boards Association.⦁ A certificate of participation provided by Orange-Ulster BOCES, signed by Mr. William Hecht, Chief Operating Officer.⦁ A signed copy of a young adult book donated by Ramapo Catskill Library System.

The second place winner is Yamilet Lopez-Cortez from the Chester Union Free School District. In a tie for third place, third place winners are: Abigail Ladlee, from the Cornwall Central School District, and Gavin McGinnis, of Minisink Valley Central School District. The second and third place winners each win these prizes: A plaque and ribbon donated by Orange County School Boards Association.⦁ A certificate of participation provided by Orange-Ulster BOCES, signed by Mr. William Hecht, Chief Operating Officer.⦁ A $25 Barnes & Noble gift card donated by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan.⦁ A signed copy of a young adult book donated by Ramapo Catskill Library System.⦁ A writing journal and pen set from Orange-Ulster BOCES Instructional Support Services.

The Bee reaches millions of students across the country and in other parts of the world with the classroom materials it provides to enrolled schools. The purpose of the Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational program. Visit spellingbee.com for more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company.

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