For the second year in a row, Jayden Zheng from Bonham Middle School was the last student standing in the Potter County Spelling Bee Championship held Thursday at George Washington Carver Academy.
Defending his title as a now 8th grader, Zheng took his usual deliberate approach in spelling out his words, making it through nine rounds, beating out Vanousheh Parvez, a fourth-grader from Sleepy Hollow Elementary, as she misspelled the word “cauterize”. Zheng won by correctly spelling the word “crustaceans”.
With 52 students starting the spelling bee, by the end of five rounds, only eight students were left and then two left by the end of round eight. Zheng will seek to win his second regional championship and punch his ticket to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will be held later in the year. Last year, Zheng placed 12th overall, which for his age is considered a stellar accomplishment in a spelling competition.
Zheng said his experience last year prepared him to do well this year and he did more.