This year’s Alachua County schools spelling bee champion doesn’t attend an Alachua County public school.
Students in grades 5 through 8 competed Feb. 7 for a chance to represent the county at the regional spelling bee in Jacksonville. Among the crowd of 35 public and private school students was 12-year-old Cooper Campen, the only homeschooled student in attendance, who would take home the title of Alachua County’s spelling bee winner.
His winning word? Rasorial, relating to a bird, means habitually scratching the ground in search of food.
The sixth-grader said his favorite subjects are history and science, but one of Campen’s favorite things to do is read. He’s read a plethora of materials and said he doesn’t really have a favorite genre – he enjoys reading almost anything. Historical fiction, science fiction and biographies interest him, and he’s seen words from some of the books he’s read at the spelling bee.
Former regional winner: Local speller set for big bee
2022 bee: Students participate in the Alachua County Spelling Bee