Seven young spellers from the five Island elementary schools, the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, and the home school community will compete Friday, March 18, in the Vineyard’s Regional Spelling Bee, sponsored by The Martha’s Vineyard Times.
The spelling bee starts at 9:30 am in the Performing Art Center at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
The Island spellers are: Paulo Pereira of Edgartown, Coltrane Leport from Chilmark, Ciara Seccombe from the Charter School, Pearl Vercruysse from West Tisbury, and Amanda Barbosa from Oak Bluffs. Olivia Jacobs, last year’s Island bee champion, returns again as Tisbury School’s winner this year. Savanna Aiello, grade 6, represents the home school community.
Jean Holenko of the Oak Bluffs School is the Bee coordinator. Whit Griswold, editor of The Times’ Community section, is the pronouncer. Judges are James Weiss, superintendent of Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools, and Times news writer Janet Hefler.
Friday’s winner, sponsored by The Times, which underwrites the cost, will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The event will be held during Bee Week, May 29 through June 3, at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center on the Potomac River, near Washington, D.C. Semifinals and championship finals take place on June 2.
