At National Spelling Bee, West Michigan students get to round three
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As the National Spelling Bee kicked off Tuesday, some West Michigan students made it past the first two rounds.
The annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is taking place this week in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C. The first two rounds included both a spelling round and a vocabulary round.
Josiah Loehrke, a 5th grader at El Sol Dual Language School in Kalamazoo, said he has been spending most of his free time preparing, studying with an app on his phone and getting quizzed by his mom.
He made it past the first round by spelling 'Mirach' correctly and defined 'grotto' in the second round, according to the spelling bee's .
'I'm lucky I made it past that (second) round. That was tricky,' he told News 8 parent company Nexstar. 'It's really exciting. I'm glad that I'm still in of course. I honestly didn't know most of the vocabulary words, so I also feel lucky that I'm still in.'
National Spelling Bee champions say it set them up for success: 'You attain a level of mastery'
The 5th grader, who was sponsored by the Kalamazoo Experiential Learning Center, said he's looking forward to exploring Washington D.C. on Friday.
Grand Rapids middle schooler Elliott Covelle also made it past the first and second rounds, spelling 'colluctation' and defining 'gaggle.' The Northern Hills Middle School 8th grader, who was sponsored by Kent Intermediate School District, said the event has been a lot of fun.
'It's great, it's wonderful here. It's lots of fun,' she said. 'My favorite part is probably meeting everyone, and then this hotel is incredible.'
Her advice for other students who want to take part in the spelling bee is to read and ask questions about words they don't understand.
Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes
Both said they're proud to represent their communities.
'It's a huge honor to be able to represent Kalamazoo … (at) the spelling bee. And I'm trying not to let them down, and I think I'm doing pretty well,' Josiah said. 'I'm glad I'm able to do this'
'I'm really proud to be representing Grand Rapids and Kent County,' Elliott said. 'It's really nice to have support from all my friends and teachers and family. It's a good experience.'
Ishika Dirisala, a 6th grader from St. Joseph, also made it past the first and second rounds. The Upton Middle School student correctly spelled 'nival' and defined 'abolish.'
The Scripps National Spelling Bee finals are scheduled for Thursday starting at 8 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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