‘Quirky’ wins Seth Hyde the Islandwide spelling bee

An eighth grader from the West Tisbury School outspelled his competitors at the Islandwide spelling bee Friday morning, earning him a spot on the Scripps national stage with the word “quirky.”

Winner Seth Hyde will now be heading to Washington, D.C., for “Bee Week” in May, where he will face off against more than 200 of the nation’s best student spellers. 

The Island competition, sponsored annually by The Martha’s Vineyard Times, garnered a massive turnout Friday at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s Performing Arts Center, with the auditorium packed with families, friends, classmates, and teachers cheering support for the group of contenders.

The six spellers, varying in grade, came representing all Island elementary schools; Sunny Wolverton (Charter School, sixth grade); Rocco Baccelli (Tisbury School, sixth grade); Madison Curelli (Oak Bluffs School, seventh grade); Charlotte Bologna (Chilmark School, fifth grade); Addison McDonough (Edgartown School, eighth grade); and Seth Hyde (West Tisbury School, eighth grade). 

Coordinated by Oak Bluffs School teacher Jean Holenko, the competition was judged by Martha’s Vineyard Times’ news editor Sam Houghton and Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools Superintendent Richie Smith. The Times’ assistant features editor, Lucas Thors, served as the pronouncer. 

After the first four eliminations, with the words “bias,” “mogul,” “skirmish,” and “amusement,” Hyde and Curelli, one of last year’s competition finalists, took the stage’s mic in a brief back-and-forth, until an incorrect spelling of “element” knocked out Hyde’s last competitor.

Despite spelling every word assigned to him without mistake, including “linguistics,” “virtually,” and “nuance,” Hyde surprised himself with his correct spelling of the word “evacuees,” gasping “Oh my God!” 

Following his win, Hyde — who was also cast for numerous roles in the recent West Tisbury School’s production of “Matilda the Musical Jr.” — attributed his innate spelling skills to being an avid reader. 

With hopes to one day become a pediatrician or a standup comic, the eighth grader’s focus is first set on the upcoming national competition.