NASHVILLE – Forty-eight elementary and middle school students, along with more than 200 spectators including parents, teachers and friends, arrived Saturday at Nissan Stadium to compete in one of the nation's oldest and most iconic competitions: the spelling bee.
The fourth annual Tennessee Titans Regional Spelling Bee showcased the talents of the brightest students across 51 counties in middle and west Tennessee. More than 130 schools registered to participate this year.
To qualify for the regional competition, each student won their school-level spelling bee and also scored in the top 50 of an online, semi-final test that included both spelling and vocabulary questions.
Competition was strong, with students correctly spelling words like:
- Schipperke
- Bobbejaan
- Nachtmusik
- Balalaika
- Pfeffernuss
Surviving 15 rounds and more than four grueling hours of competition, Jack Parker of Fred J Page Middle School in Franklin took first place.
Keller Smith of Huntingdon Middle School in west Tennessee placed second.
As the top two spellers, both earned an all-expense-paid trip to compete in the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in late May. The competition is broken up into multiple days, with the final rounds aired live on ESPN.
For more information on the national competition and to eventually see a list of the qualifying students from all 50 states and several territories, visit www.spellingbee.com.
The Titans hosted their fourth regional spelling bee, showcasing 48 students across 51 counties in middle and west Tennessee. (Photos: Kayla Schoen)
