The 22nd annual installment of Marion County’s Spelling Bee was held on Tuesday evening, and two students earned the title of top speller.
During the event, which was held inside the Browne Greaton Cole Auditorium at Marion Technical Institute in Ocala, a total of 17 middle school students from across Marion County went head-to-head to become the 2024 Spelling Bee champion.
This year’s competition featured a total of 22 rounds, though all but two of the participating students were eliminated by the end of round four, according to Marion County Public Schools.
The final 18 rounds saw two students battling it out for the title: Cali Godwin, an 8th grader at Belleview Middle School, and Kathy Ly, a 7th grader at Liberty Middle School.
Godwin and Ly collectively had five opportunities to capture the individual title by spelling a championship word. The two winning words ended up being “stigmata” and “ulna” after the judges decided to end the event with dual winners.
The remaining 15 competitors represented the following middle schools: Belleview, Blessed Trinity, Dunnellon, Fort King, Fort McCoy, Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, Howard, Lake Weir, Liberty, and Osceola.
As Marion County’s Spelling Bee co-champions, Godwin and Ly each won a medal and a cash prize from the Woman’s Club of Ocala, the event’s longtime sponsor along with MCPS.
This year’s Spelling Bee was recorded for the MCPS YouTube channel, though the event will not air until Monday, April 1 to protect the Scripps word list and integrity of the national competition.
For more information, visit the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, or contact Mark Ingram via phone (352-236-0519) or email (mark.ingram@marion.k12.fl.us).