Champion Speller Claims Title in 2022 Kyrene School District Spelling Bee

Posted January 2022

Top spellers from across Kyrene competed in person for the first time in two years at the Kyrene School District Spelling Bee on Thursday, January 27, 2022. Congratulations to District Champion Darius Collins, an 8th-grade student at Altadeña Middle School. After 14 highly competitive rounds, Collins correctly spelled flinders and then the championship word cache to clinch the title.

The 2nd place winner was Penelope Williams, an 8th-grade student at Pueblo Middle School. Collins and Williams will both compete in the Maricopa County Regional Bee on February 12, and they won’t be representing Kyrene alone. This year, Kyrene is eligible to send its top five spellers to the regional bee, and each of these outstanding students will compete next month:

• Darius Collins (grade 8), Altadeña Middle School
• Penelope Williams (grade 8), Pueblo Middle School
• Ben Lyon (grade 8), Aprende Middle School
• Remington Catana (grade 6), Kyrene Traditional Academy
• Lilee Ramirez (grade 5), Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School

A total of 26 Kyrene spellers competed in the Bee after winning their individual school spelling bees. Examples of words they were asked to spell: vambrace, mete, conurbation, vulpine, cudgel. A limited number of guests were invited to attend, to cheer on the spellers. Kyrene congratulates all 26 spellers and wishes the students advancing to the regional bee G-O-O-D L-U-C-K!

Tempe Elementary School District is hosting the Maricopa County Regional Bee. The top two spellers from the regional bee continue on to the State Bee. The Arizona Educational Foundation will host the State Bee on March 19th.