8 Arizona youths compete in National Spelling Bee
“It’s very exciting to have this opportunity, and I am proud to represent Arizona.” Marcus Giorza
Age 13, Madison No. 1 Middle School, Phoenix
Students from across the country will be showing off their skills at the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland this week.
And this year, eight Arizona students will compete.
The competition, which runs today through Thursday, will feature 516 spellers.
Traditionally, only the winner from two Arizona spelling competitions — hosted by the Arizona Educational Foundation and the Navajo Times Publishing Company — attend the national event.
But the rules changed this year.
RSVBee Program
This year, the national competition started the RSVBee program, giving more students the opportunity to compete.
RSVBee is open to winners of any school spelling bee that is a member of the National Spelling Bee program. Also, former national finalists are able to participate.
Parents applied on behalf of their child and paid a $750 fee to receive an invitation.
The new program allowed six additional students from Arizona to compete in the bee this year.
Who are the Arizona students?
The Arizona students attending the National Spelling Bee are:
❚ Isabella Padilla, 12, EDUPRIZE Schools in Queen Creek.
❚ Marcus Giorza, 13, Madison No. 1 Middle School in Phoenix.
❚ Daniel Wu, 12, Arizona College Preparatory School - Erie in Chandler.
❚ Kelly Haven, 13, Tsehootsooi Middle School in Fort Defiance.
❚ Annabelle Tran, 13, Frontier Elementary in Peoria.
❚ Lindsay Davis, 14, Estrella Mountain Elementary in Goodyear.
❚ Max Greenspan, 12, Cocopah Middle School in Scottsdale.
❚ Iscent George, 14, Legacy Traditional School in Glendale.
Marcus Giorza and Kelly Haven won the bees through the Arizona Educational Foundation and Navajo Times Publishing Company competitions. Their expenses are covered by the foundation and media company.
“It’s very exciting to have this opportunity, and I am proud to represent Arizona,” Marcus said. “Three years ago, I could not realistically imagine being a part of this.”
The other students have found different ways to fund the trip to the competition.
Queen Creek’s Isabella Padilla baked cinnamon rolls with her mom and grandmother to sell for a fundraiser.
The competition will be held in the Washington, D.C. area. Many of the students hope to take time to visit landmarks and museums like the National Museum of Natural History.
It took hard work for the students to get to the national level, including many hours of studying and ... napping.
“You’ve got to rest a brain that works this hard,” Isabella joked.
The students have big hopes for their futures. Marcus hopes to make a difference in the world and become a scientist, researcher, engineer, physicist or a politician.
Cocopah Middle School student Max Greenspan said he also wants to help others.
“I would like to be a lawyer because I like to debate and believe I would be able to make a difference,” he said.
The National Spelling Bee will air on ESPN beginning today with Round 2 and ending Thursday with the finals.