The North Middle School English Department hosted the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee school-wide competition on Jan. 11. This year’s Spelling Bee was one of the longest and most challenging in recent school history, with students competing through an impressive 25 rounds.
Forty-two contestants in grades 6, 7 and 8 earned a spot in the school-wide event by winning their respective classroom-level spelling bee in December. Eighth-grader Lila Halpert and sixth-grader Zelong (Victor) Yang were the final two contestants, and they went head-to-head through several rounds. Victor triumphed as the winner by correctly spelling the championship word, “dogmatism.”
Both Victor and Lila will advance to a second round of competition, where they will test their spelling skills against other students from across Long Island via a computer-based exam. Students with the top scores will be invited to participate in the Long Island Regional Spelling Bee.
Last year, North Middle’s Spelling Bee winner, Brian Liu, advanced all the way to the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Brian, now in seventh grade at North Middle, was one of the final four contestants in this year’s school-wide Spelling Bee.
