Three Oxford School District students in Mississippi, Diya Jobin, Raymond Sang, and Sagan Karthikeyan, have qualified for the Mississippi State Spelling Bee. They earned their spots after performing well in the County spelling bee and the online semi-finals. This year, the semi-finals were held online, featuring the best spellers from each county.
The Mississippi State Spelling Bee will take place on March 2, 2024, at the Mississippi University for Women (MUW) campus in Columbus. The event will last three days, with the students competing for the title. The students and their families will arrive in Columbus the Friday before the event.
Upon arrival, the students will participate in welcoming activities and tour the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. These activities are part of the preparation for the main event, which will focus on spelling and vocabulary.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee program in Mississippi has grown over the past three years, with 317 schools from 42 counties participating. Around 8,000 students from grades 3 through 8 have participated in competitive spelling, advancing to the state level. The online platform provided by Scripps has helped increase participation, allowing more students to compete at a higher level.