Winners of the annual Spelling Bee contest held at Cumberland County Public Schools were recognized at the March 6, 2025, meeting of the Cumberland School Board. The Scripps National Spelling Bee, started in 1925, is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational promotion. It is sponsored by the E. W. Scripps Company. Local competitions are co-sponsored by newspapers, such as the Richmond Times-Dispatch, or other high-profile community organizations and businesses. The spelling bee was established to “help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.” To participate in the contest, students must be under 16 years of age, be enrolled in 8th grade or below, and attend a school which has officially enrolled in the program.
Students who participated and won in grade-level competition in the Spelling Bee included the following:
1st Grade Aubrey Mealy
Carleigh Pryor (Runner-up)
2nd Grade Egypt Lambert
Roran Lawson (Runner-up)
3rd Grade Londynn Thompson
Caileigh Winbush (Runner-up)
4th Grade Jeremiah Williams
Gunner McDaniel (Runner-up)
5th Grade James Dufrain
Caleb Peterson (Runner-up)
6th Grade Sofiah Paras
Alaina McDaniel (Runner-up)
7th Grade Caleb Hopper
Cameron Langston (Runner-up)
8th Grade Sean Fitz
Ja’Twaun Liggon (Runner-up)
Sixth grader Sophia Paras was the division winner of the Spelling Bee and fifth grader James Dufrain was the runner-up.
Pictured:
Spelling Bee Participants:
Spelling Bee individual grade level winners and runners-up included the following: FRONT ROW: Aubrey Mealy, Carleigh Pryor, Londynn Thompson, Gunner McDaniel, and James Dufrain. BACK ROW: Sofia Paras, Alaina McDaniel, Caleb Hopper, and Ja’Twaun Liggon.