Students from Cedarville, Springfield in top 3 at Regional Spelling Bee

The competition involved 47 spellers from across the Dayton region and lasted 20 rounds, according to organizers at Wright State.

Spisak said all of the spellers in the competition were “terrific.”

The other two winners included second-place finisher William Landon, 12, from Cedarville, and third-place finisher Matthew Comer, 11, of Ridgewood School, a private school in Springfield.

Spisak, 13, said she has always been interested in literature and spelling, and had prepared for the competition since January, when she won her school’s spelling bee.

She’ll continue preparing through May, because Spisak now advances to compete in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer near Washington, D.C. The semifinal round is May 29 and the final round is May 30. The final round will be televised on the ION network.

“I’m excited for the thrill of being in a national competition,” Spisak said.

Her winning word was Orinoco, the name of one of South America’s longest rivers.

This was the first time the regional spelling bee had been held in-person since 2019, and the first time Wright State had ever hosted.

“Wright State is thrilled to be hosting the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee and to support our region’s learners in their love of language and admirable depth of knowledge,” WSU President Sue Edwards said.

The regional spelling bee included students from grades 4-8. Spellers studied “Words of the Champions,” the 4,000-word list provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee, to prepare for the competition.

In addition to qualifying for the national competition, Spisak also wins these prizes: