SPELLING BEE FACTS: Lots of work goes into creating the protocols neccessary for the event. This includes selecting the words, conjugating, meanings, origin, etc. After several years of laboring this on a local level, Scripps recognized the Prince William County Spelling Bee for the national program. The official Scripps Spelling Bee rules are now used. By the late eighteenth century, bee had become commonly associated with the British dialect form referring to the joining of neighbors to work on a single activity to help a neighbor in need: sewing bee, quilting bee, etc. This derivation counters a long held belief that bee refers to the buzzing insect and the social nature of a beehive. The earliest printed reference to spelling bee dates back to 1825. However, children had been engaged in competitive wordplay for years beforehand. PWC Spelling Bee Sponsorship provided by: The Waters Foundation - Julie and Buck Waters GRAHAM PARK MIDDLE Ashley Attah Grade: 6 | Age: 11 City: Dumfries Winning word: Tergiversation Alternate Justin Appiagyei HERBERT J. SAUNDERS MIDDLE Benjamin Acosta Grade: 8 | Age: 14 City: Montclair Winning word: Heliocentric Alternate Hailey Brimhall HOME ORGANIZATION OF PARENT EDUCATORS Ethan Kirsch Grade: 8 | Age: 13 City: Bristow Winning word: Kaleidoscope J.W. ALVEY ELEMENTARY Lily Lu Grade: 2 | Age: 7 City: Haymarket Winning word: Pennant Alternate Lucy Lu JENNIE DEAN ELEMENTARY Uzair Akhtar Grade: 4 | Age: 10 City: Manassas Winning word: Squishy Alternate Alejandro Guevara Vasquez LAKE RIDGE MIDDLE Skye Auger Grade: 7 | Age: 11 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Extricate Alternate Niveda Mahesh LOCH LOMOND ELEMENTARY Nathaniel Wilson Grade: 4 | Age: 9 City: Manassas Winning word: Gravity Alternate Ricky Tangiri LOUISE A. BENTON MIDDLE Jenna Meink Grade: 7 | Age: 13 City: Manassas Winning word: Humdinger Alternate Ayaan Siddiqui MANASSAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Devan Waghray Grade: 7 | Age: 12 City: Centerville Winning word: Xanadu Alternate Keona Thomas MANASSAS PARK MIDDLE Ashley Gyawali Grade: 6 | Age: 12 City: Manassas Park Winning word: Haberdashery Alternate Alia Marzyie MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. ELEMENTARY Aaleyah Ahad Grade: 5 | Age: 10 City: Manassas Winning word: Youthful Alternate Adrienne Anderson MAYFIELD INTERMEDIATE Wajid Akhtar Grade: 6 | Age: 12 City: Manassas Winning word: Lobelia Alternate Aarushi Chakravorty MINNIEVILLE ELEMENTARY Jairus Appiah Jr. Grade: 3 | Age: 8 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Capably Alternate Emma Ramirez MONTCLAIR ELEMENTARY Abheek Bhandari Grade: 5 | Age: 11 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Irked Alternate Veronica Nary OLD BRIDGE ELEMENTARY Ahmare Brooks Grade: 4 | Age: 10 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Garret Alternate Leila Trigger PARKSIDE MIDDLE Sadaf Hashemi Grade: 6 | Age: 12 City: Manassas Winning word: Flauta Alternate Alekhya Vadiala PENNINGTON SCHOOL Amina Haq Grade: 8 | Age: 13 City: Manassas Winning word: Riviera Alternate Rylee Nussbaum RICHARD C. HAYDON ELEMENTARY Jarrett Manalansan Grade: 3 | Age: 8 City: Manassas Winning word: Relinquish Alternate Lawrence Lodronio RIPPON MIDDLE William Kerr Grade: 7 | Age: 13 City: Dumfries Alternate Nathaniel Sealy ROCKLEDGE ELEMENTARY Brendan Amoah- Daniels Grade: 4 | Age: 9 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Acclamations Alternate Aashaz Ahmad SAMUEL L. GRAVELY ELEMENTARY Levi Kouts Grade: 2 | Age: 8 City: Haymarket Winning word: Dismissal SETON SCHOOL Rudy Gasser Grade: 8 | Age: 14 City: Nokesville Winning word: Dissertation Alternate Emma Reynolds SONNIE PENN ELEMENTARY Raymond Baumann Grade: 4 | Age: 10 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Maturity Alternate Hadia Zahid ST. THOMAS AQUINAS REGIONAL SCHOOL Bethelle Lanquaye Grade: 8 | Age: 14 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Espionage STONEWALL MIDDLE Nachiket Chodankar Grade: 6 | Age: 11 City: Manassas Winning word: Clavicle Alternate Madison Simpson STUART M. BEVILLE MIDDLE Mehmood Shajih Grade: 8 | Age: 14 City: Woodbridge Winning word: Haberdashery Alternate Michael Gutierrez T. CLAY WOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Diego Wheatley Diaz Grade: 5 | Age: 10 City: Bristow Winning word: Widespread Alternate Bhuvan Vijay THURGOOD MARSHALL ELEMENTARY Israel Peterson Grade: 4 | Age: 10 City: Manassas Winning word: Grenadier Alternate Tori Masters WEEMS ELEMENTARY Soumia Jaidane Grade: 4 | Age: 9 City: Manassas Winning word: Disco Alternate Alex Rivas WEST GATE ELEMENTARY Alana Molina Grade: 5 | Age: 11 City: Manassas Winning word: Champion Alternate Ashley Benavides INSIDENOVA.COM | MARCH 15-21, 2019 17 CLASSIFIED | LIFESTYLE | SPORTS | OPINION | BUSINESS | EDUCATION | NEWS