“Oppression,” “winsome,” “prestigious,” “Frankenstein,” and “bronchitis” were words spelled correctly by six Island students to earn them a spot onstage to compete in the 33rd annual Martha’s Vineyard All-School Spelling Bee Friday. But only one word had the potential to push one of those six to the next round in the country’s capital, and that word was “immortality.”
Eighth-grader Aiden Galligan of the West Tisbury School took home the crown Friday morning after correctly spelling “immortality” in the final round. Now he’ll be heading to Washington, D.C., to spell at the national level.
At the competition, hosted at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s (MVRHS) Performing Arts Center, the lineup included Chilmark School fifth-grader Orion Persinko, Oak Bluffs School seventh-grader Mary Grade McGroarty Sampaio, Tisbury School sixth-grader Alex Gafencu, seventh-grader from Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School Rose Athearn, seventh-grader from the Edgartown School Jake Stanton, and Galligan. To qualify, they outspelled 700 other students.
Some contestants stumbled in early rounds on “thawed,” “residue,” and “docket.” Eventually, it was just Galligan, Stanton, and Athearn left. All three final contestants seemed unstoppable before Athearn was eliminated by the silent “a” in “extraordinaire.” Stanton and Galligan went for three more rounds before Stanton stumbled on “cognizant” (or “cognisant”), and Galligan successfully spelt “subsequent.”
Galligan was then given the final word, “immortality,” which he spelled correctly. Then he raised his arms into the air in triumph at center stage, and a big smile filled his face.
Jean Holenko, spelling bee coordinator for almost 20 years, and a science and engineering teacher at the Oak Bluffs School, introduced all the contestants to loud cheers from the crowd, but when Stanton was introduced, an extra-loud cheer came from a section of his family and friends, all wearing Boston Bruins jerseys. Stanton, in his second appearance on the MVRHS stage in the past couple of years and donning a Bruins jersey of his own, said wearing the shirts has become a tradition for them when he competes in spelling bees.
Holenko said she always looks forward to the annual bee. “Watching people work towards a goal and reaching that goal is what I enjoy,” she said.
“It feels awesome,” said Galligan after winning the competition.
Following his victory, he reiterated a quote from American rapper, songwriter, and record producer Kanye West at the 47th Grammy Awards in 2005. “A couple of my friends were asking me what I would do if I didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know,” said Galligan jokingly.
Galligan’s victory not only marks him as the best speller on the Island this year, but it also earned him the right to compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., a trip sponsored by The Times. Galligan said his goal at the national contest is to win it all.
Galligan said he had been training a bit for the competition, but, as seen by nearly 100 spectators at the spelling bee on Friday, he had an air of confidence and calmness with each approach to the microphone, asking questions about definitions and origins of only a few words that had homonyms.
Galligan said this was his first appearance at the All-School Spelling Bee, but only one word almost stumped him. He said when he was given the word “manifests,” he struggled to hear the “t,” but after some clarifications, he forged forward and spelled it correctly. Other words Galligan successfully spelled included “peony,” “gaseous,” “pageantry,” and “yoo-hoo.”
Galligan’s parents, Emily and Paul Galligan, said they are very excited to travel to D.C. with their son. “We had no doubt he could win,” Emily said. “He’s brilliant, and it’s amazing. We were honored to get this far, and he’s always wanted to go to D.C. anyway, so this is just perfect. We are so happy.”
She said his interest in spelling and competing in the bee was born from his love of reading. “He’s just a big reader. He’s been great with spelling and reading his whole life. This was all him,” she said.
