Preview: Regional Spelling Bee set for Saturday, 3/20

Eighteen spellers from Oswego City School District and Trinity Catholic School will compete Saturday, March 20 in a livestreamed Regional Spelling Bee to determine who will represent the Port City at the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Hosted by The Palladium-Times, the socially distanced 30th Annual Regional Spelling Bee will stream live at 10 a.m. on YouTube.com/WBUCNY and on Spectrum channel 16 while the spellers take the stage in Oswego High School’s TV studio.

“We are thrilled the annual tradition of our spelling bee can continue,” said OCSD Superintendent Dr. Mathis Calvin III. “Our students have worked very hard to get to this point, and we are very proud of their diligent efforts. I can’t wait to watch this year’s competition.”

Due to state and school district health protocols, there will be no spectators allowed in-person for the event, and parents and families should plan to watch the bee virtually. Specific drop-off and pickup instructions have been sent to families.

The 18 spellers, 15 from OCSD elementary schools or Oswego Middle School and three from Trinity, range from third grade to eighth grade. The overall winner will earn a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals in Orlando, Florida to be held in early July.

In addition to The Palladium-Times, major sponsors of this year’s regional final of the Scripps National Spelling Bee include NBT Bank, Exelon, Oswego Rotary and Oswego County Federal Credit Union.

Below is a list of participants in the order they will spell, which was chosen via a random drawing.

Contestant, School, Grade
1. Sydney Pryor, Charles E. Riley, 5th
2. Jessica Romanowski, Charles E. Riley, 5th
3. Everett Farella, Trinity Catholic, 4th
4. Mia Ennist, Oswego Middle School, 8th
5. Mason Skye, Leighton, 4th
6. Claire Greenfield, Charles E. Riley, 4th
7. Agnes Terpening, Trinity Catholic, 4th
8. Eli Belawske, Oswego Middle School, 7th
9. Mia Bateman, Minetto, 4th
10. Alexander Daigle, Kingsford Park, 3rd
11. Samantha Haight, Minetto, 5th
12. Mackenzie Joyce, Leighton, 5th
13. Jeremiah Wright, Minetto, 4th
14. Natalie Breitbeck, Kingsford Park, 4th
15. Colin Wallace, Trinity Catholic, 6th
16. Trevor Schell, Leighton, 4th
17. Elisa Feito Cortes, Kingsford Park, 4th
18. Xavier Vasquez, Oswego Middle School, 7th