By Debbie Adams
Rory Grant, a seventh grader at William Byrd Middle School, has won the Scripps Regional
Spelling Bee, hosted and sponsored by Radford University on March 22. He will now advance to
the National Spelling Bee held near Washington, D.C. on May 27, 28, and 29.
Rory represented Roanoke County Public Schools where he had won the District Championship
on January 28. That was the second time he had won the District Spelling Bee; he also won as a
fifth grader.
Regional Spelling Bee and will advance to the national competition in May. (photo courtesy of Emily Grant)
Radford Mayor David Horton served as master of ceremonies for the regional event. There were
27 participants from surrounding localities. The spelling bee consisted of 13 rounds preceded by
a practice round. Those who spelled their word correctly advanced to the next round. Those who
spelled their word incorrectly were out. To win the bee, you must not only be the only speller left
standing, you must then correctly spell a “championship” word. Rory’s was “neuropathy.”
Debora Bays Wilbon, the Associate Dean and Director of the Office of Field Experience in the
College of Education and Human Development at Radford University, said, “The 27 competitors
at the Radford University Regional Spelling Bee included 4th graders to 8th graders this year. This
included two 4th graders, seven 5th graders, four 6th graders, five 7th graders, and nine 8th graders.
These competitors qualified for the Regional Bee after competing in class, school and/or school
division bees. There were 137 individual schools enrolled in our region this year, including
public school divisions, private schools, a parochial school and a home school association.”
Rory’s mother, Emily, said that Rory prepared for the regional competition mainly by using the
Scripps Word Club app, but he also practiced spelling words orally.
“The preparation for district vs. regional was mainly the same, but he focused on more difficult
words anticipating stiff competition,” Grant said. “The 4,000-word Words of the Champions list
is released each year and contains school lists as well as three word lists in order of increasing
difficulty. The lists used for school, district, and regional bees all come from that word list but
may include words not on the list. All words can be found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.”
Other than prestige, there are other benefits to winning the district, regional, and national
spelling bees. In winning the district spelling bee, Rory won a Samsung Galaxy S9 FE tablet.
When he won the Regional Spelling Bee, Rory took home prizes of
- A one-year subscription to the Meriam Webster Unabridged Online Dictionary
- A one-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium,
- The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award 2025 United State Mint Proof Set
- A trophy
- Registration and a six-night stay at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center for
the Scripps National Bee Week during the last week of May - A $100 gift card
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. According to Grant,
“‘Bee Week’ is a week-long experience for spellers and their families that includes special
events, educational workshops, excursions into Washington, D.C., and more.”
The national bee is somewhat different from the school, district, and regional bees in that the
national bee will include preliminary rounds with spelling and vocabulary questions featuring
words from the list, followed by a written test assessing participants’ knowledge of words not on
the provided list. Finalists then progress to additional oral spelling rounds.
Wilbon says, “The semifinals on May 28 and the finals on May 29 will be televised on ION. The
winner of the national bee receives a $50,000 cash prize, a commemorative medal, and the
Scripps Cup, the official championship trophy of the Scripps National Bee. Additional prizes
from Merriam-Wester and Encyclopedia Britannica are also given. Quarterfinalists receive a pin
and a $100 gift card; semifinalists receive a medal and a $500 gift card; and finalists receive a
medal and a cash prize of $2,000-$25,000 depending on final rank.”
According to Wilbon, in this day and age of Spell Check, “Spelling bees are not only about
spelling. Participating in spelling bees inspires a lifelong love of learning, a passion for
vocabulary and language skills, goal setting and time management as students study, confidence
and poise under pressure and public speaking, and opportunities to build camaraderie with fellow
students from across the region and nation. Spell check is a great advantage to contemporary
society but doesn’t eliminate these benefits of participating in spelling bees! Once Rory
progresses to the National Competition, he will engage in oral vocabulary questions as well as
oral spelling.”
Wilbon and Roanoke County Schools spelling bee coordinator Joe LeGault agree that, “typically
advanced spellers will take their time and ask for additional word information (part of speech,
definition, alternate pronunciations, language of origin, use in a sentence). You’ll see this
frequently in the regional and national competitions.”
Rory’s parents are Jeffrey and Emily Grant.
