One Montgomery County student has made it to the finals in the 92nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee and will compete in the final round Thursday.
Anson Cook, a 12-year-old and 8th-grader at Cabin John Middle School in Potomac, has correctly spelled several words on the national stage this week, including “minestra” – a type of Italian vegetable soup – and “liman” – a bay at the mouth of a river.
“The entire Cabin John community is very excited for Anson and everyone’s been following along online and rooting for him,” Cabin John Middle School Principal John Taylor said Thursday morning. “We’re really happy for him and so proud.”
More than 11 million spellers across the country participated in spelling bees over the past eight months, vying for a spot in the national competition by winning local and regional contests. About 565 students were selected as finalists for the weeklong competition in Washington, D.C., this week.
All contestants must be 15-years-old or younger and have not yet completed the eighth grade, according to the Bee rules.
Without Anson, Cabin John likely wouldn’t have even had a local bee this year, Taylor, the principal, said.
A new student this school year, Anson met with Taylor in the summer and asked if the school hosts a spelling bee, and when Taylor said they had never had one before, Anson sprang into action to help organize its first.
Every student participated, Taylor said, and after multiple rounds of tiebreakers, Cook won the bee.
Anson, of Potomac, competed in last year’s national bee, tying for 34th place. There were 162 returning spellers this year, according to the Bee.
The competition’s final round will be broadcast live on ESPN 2 and online on the Bee website from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, with the championship round beginning at 8 p.m.
“Anson is one of the nicest kids I’ve ever met, and I’m not even exaggerating,” Taylor said. “He came into a brand new school in middle school, which can be really hard, but he’s so nice and kind he made a lot of friends right away and everyone speaks so highly of him.”
Other county students who participated in the bee, but did not advance to the final round were: Ananya Gautam, 12, Herbert Hoover Middle School; Jiming Chen, 13, Takoma Park Middle School; and Isabelle Reinecke, 12, who attends The Potomac School in Virginia and lives in Bethesda.
The only other remaining speller from Maryland is Saketh Sundar, a 13-year-old from Clarksville.
The Bee’s champion will receive a $52,500 cash prize and trophy, along with trips to New York City and Hollywood.
Finalists also receive cash prizes, the amount determined based on the round in which the speller is eliminated.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
