DISTRICT U-46 STUDENT REPEATS AS KANE COUNTY REGIONAL SPELLING BEE CHAMPION
ST. CHARLES, Ill. – Yahya Mohammed, a seventh grade student at Larsen Middle School in Elgin, Ill., took the top prize for the second consecutive year in the Kane County Regional Spelling Bee held at Thompson Middle School in St. Charles on Wednesday.
With a correct spelling of “intersperse” as the winning word, Mohammed earned another title after 20 rounds of competition. He is one of eight students ranging from elementary to middle school age that competed in front of friends and family at the Regional Spelling Bee after winning competitions at their respective schools. Second place went to Myles Godinez from Immanuel Lutheran School in East Dundee, while Diana Gomez from Dundee Middle School placed third.
“We congratulate Yahya on representing Kane County once again as the champion of our Regional Spelling Bee,” said Patricia Dal Santo, Regional Superintendent for Kane County. “The amount of effort put into preparing for this competition is a feat itself. Scripps provides a study guide featuring 4,000 words for students to familiarize, and watching them challenge their spelling acumen and succeed is always rewarding.”
Other participants in the Regional Spelling Bee included Grace Brown (Cambridge Lakes Charter School – Cambridge Lakes), Xavier Omerod (Holy Angels School – Aurora), Aliana Keltner (Hoover Wood Elementary – Batavia), Nathaniel Retel (Saint Patrick School – St. Charles), and Joseph Hendrian (Saint Peter School – Geneva).
With the win, Mohammed is eligible to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, beginning May 27. Last year, Mohammed advanced to the second day and the fourth round of competition at nationals.
