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Rowland Hall's 2026 Lower School classroom spelling bee winners.
More than Words: How Students Grow Through the Spelling Bee

Plausible. Suspicious. Psyche. Equestrian. Discipline.

Challenging to spellers of any age, these words are just a glimpse of the vocabulary lower schoolers take on for the annual spelling bee.

Held in partnership with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Rowland Hall’s Lower School spelling bee is a longtime tradition—and a meaningful learning experience that’s about more than the words themselves.

“There are a lot of valuable life lessons to be learned from the spelling bee,” said Lower School Administrative Assistant Laura Hermance ’90, who manages the division’s bee. A shy child, Laura still remembers the impact the spelling bee had on her confidence.

“It was satisfying to know how to spell words, to be good at something,” she said. 

And it’s Laura’s goal to pass that experience on, providing confidence-building benefits to today’s lower schoolers in grades 3–5, whether or not the spelling itself comes naturally to them. Below, we highlight just a few of those benefits.

1. Spelling bees give everybody a chance to lose (and that’s a good thing).

The Scripps National Spelling Bee famously ends with one winner, which means every other participant is eliminated at some point, most at the classroom or school level. “The spelling bee is one of the rare opportunities in your life where everyone gets to lose,” said Laura.

And while nobody wants to lose, students need chances to practice this life skill, and spelling bees provide a low-stakes opportunity. At Rowland Hall, the majority of students are eliminated at the classroom level, with only 10 finalists (one from each third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade class) moving on to the school competition. The school bee then further narrows the group: only the top two spellers move on to the regional bee. 

While students do feel disappointed when they’re eliminated, said fourth-grade teacher Tyler Stack, the class grows as they practice losing gracefully together. “I love how they learn to not win. It’s an incredibly valuable lesson,” he said.

2. Spelling bees build community and encourage healthy competition.

Community building is a natural outcome of the spelling bee, starting from the beginning of the process, when teachers encourage students to practice their word lists in pairs or small groups. This experience helps develop an appreciation and respect for one another’s efforts—after all, learning to spell conscience and dinosaur doesn’t always come easily—and as a result, classes tend to come together on the day of competition.

“Every year, the kids who get out rally around their classmates,” said Tyler.

Many of these students also go on to support their classroom winners as they prepare for the school competition. “I have a lot of friends who help me practice,” said fourth grader Kinley P., first runner-up in this year’s school spelling bee and one of two students who represented Rowland Hall at the regional competition.

This support benefits students on both sides: spellers feel encouraged, and their classmates get to experience the joy of showing up for one another. Tyler’s classroom winner even filled out a “Lion Is Roaring” card to recognize her peers at an all-school Roar and Soar assembly.

“It’s nice for kids to have this opportunity to practice being a team player and a good audience member, supporting and cheering on their friends,” said Laura.

3. Spelling bees develop an impressive range of academic skills.

The spelling bee gets kids engaged in how words and language work.—Laura Hermance, Lower School administrative assistant

At first glance, it can be hard to see all the academic benefits that come from participating in the spelling bee, but educators are quick to point out that the process is filled with rich learning. This includes executive functioning skills, such as time management; social skills, like practicing words with a partner; and perseverance. There are also important memory benefits that come from studying word lists. Unlike rote memorization, which focuses on repeating and recalling information without deeper understanding, spelling bee preparation requires students to analyze the structures and patterns of words in order to do well.

“The spelling bee gets kids engaged in how words and language work,” said Laura. 

This practice is especially helpful for upper elementary students, said Tyler, because they’re writing more and often thinking about how to approach the spelling of words. Their bee lists also expose them to words that don’t follow typical spelling patterns, like colonel or subtle, helping them become familiar with tricky words. “It increases their memory, versus them needing to go find the answer,” said Tyler.

4. Spelling bees illustrate the joy of trying your best.

Whether or not a student connects with spelling, participating in a spelling bee is a great way to get to know themselves as learners. Within a low-stakes, ungraded environment, students feel safe trying something new, challenging themselves, and recognizing they can do hard things.

It encourages you to practice for things, even when they’re hard. And even when something’s really hard, when you practice it, it makes you a lot better.—Kinley P., grade 4

In Tyler’s classroom, for instance, students begin with both the fourth- and fifth-grade Scripps lists and have at least two weeks to prepare. Participation isn’t required, but Tyler does expect students to verbally opt out during the first round of the classroom bee if they don’t want to compete. Few take him up on the offer.

“Most of them try,” he said.

And regardless of how far they advance, most students walk away from the spelling bee feeling positive and more confident, knowing they did their best. This was certainly the case for Kinley, who practiced every day for 30 minutes (her favorite word to spell is hors d'oeuvres) and sees the spelling bee as an important growth experience.

“It encourages you to practice for things, even when they’re hard,” she said. “And even when something’s really hard, when you practice it, it makes you a lot better.”

Kudos to all the third, fourth, and fifth graders who participated in this year’s spelling bee, and congratulations to the 2026 classroom bee winners: fifth graders Ava A., Robin M., and Sophie S.; fourth graders Assylay A., Rory C., Kinley P., and Abi W.; and third graders Emma C., Aashna P., and Daisy S.

After 12 rounds of competition, Ava was crowned Rowland Hall’s 2026 spelling champion for the second year in a row; the winning word was pizzeria. Kinley was named first runner-up and Sophie was named second runner-up. Because Ava participated in last year’s regional spelling bee, she elected to skip that level of competition this year, allowing both Kinley and Sophie to experience it for the first time.

More than Words: How Students Grow Through the Spelling Bee

Plausible. Suspicious. Psyche. Equestrian. Discipline.

Challenging to spellers of any age, these words are just a glimpse of the vocabulary lower schoolers take on for the annual spelling bee.

Held in partnership with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Rowland Hall’s Lower School spelling bee is a longtime tradition—and a meaningful learning experience that’s about more than the words themselves.

“There are a lot of valuable life lessons to be learned from the spelling bee,” said Lower School Administrative Assistant Laura Hermance ’90, who manages the division’s bee. A shy child, Laura still remembers the impact the spelling bee had on her confidence.

“It was satisfying to know how to spell words, to be good at something,” she said. 

And it’s Laura’s goal to pass that experience on, providing confidence-building benefits to today’s lower schoolers in grades 3–5, whether or not the spelling itself comes naturally to them. Below, we highlight just a few of those benefits.

1. Spelling bees give everybody a chance to lose (and that’s a good thing).

The Scripps National Spelling Bee famously ends with one winner, which means every other participant is eliminated at some point, most at the classroom or school level. “The spelling bee is one of the rare opportunities in your life where everyone gets to lose,” said Laura.

And while nobody wants to lose, students need chances to practice this life skill, and spelling bees provide a low-stakes opportunity. At Rowland Hall, the majority of students are eliminated at the classroom level, with only 10 finalists (one from each third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade class) moving on to the school competition. The school bee then further narrows the group: only the top two spellers move on to the regional bee. 

While students do feel disappointed when they’re eliminated, said fourth-grade teacher Tyler Stack, the class grows as they practice losing gracefully together. “I love how they learn to not win. It’s an incredibly valuable lesson,” he said.

2. Spelling bees build community and encourage healthy competition.

Community building is a natural outcome of the spelling bee, starting from the beginning of the process, when teachers encourage students to practice their word lists in pairs or small groups. This experience helps develop an appreciation and respect for one another’s efforts—after all, learning to spell conscience and dinosaur doesn’t always come easily—and as a result, classes tend to come together on the day of competition.

“Every year, the kids who get out rally around their classmates,” said Tyler.

Many of these students also go on to support their classroom winners as they prepare for the school competition. “I have a lot of friends who help me practice,” said fourth grader Kinley P., first runner-up in this year’s school spelling bee and one of two students who represented Rowland Hall at the regional competition.

This support benefits students on both sides: spellers feel encouraged, and their classmates get to experience the joy of showing up for one another. Tyler’s classroom winner even filled out a “Lion Is Roaring” card to recognize her peers at an all-school Roar and Soar assembly.

“It’s nice for kids to have this opportunity to practice being a team player and a good audience member, supporting and cheering on their friends,” said Laura.

3. Spelling bees develop an impressive range of academic skills.

The spelling bee gets kids engaged in how words and language work.—Laura Hermance, Lower School administrative assistant

At first glance, it can be hard to see all the academic benefits that come from participating in the spelling bee, but educators are quick to point out that the process is filled with rich learning. This includes executive functioning skills, such as time management; social skills, like practicing words with a partner; and perseverance. There are also important memory benefits that come from studying word lists. Unlike rote memorization, which focuses on repeating and recalling information without deeper understanding, spelling bee preparation requires students to analyze the structures and patterns of words in order to do well.

“The spelling bee gets kids engaged in how words and language work,” said Laura. 

This practice is especially helpful for upper elementary students, said Tyler, because they’re writing more and often thinking about how to approach the spelling of words. Their bee lists also expose them to words that don’t follow typical spelling patterns, like colonel or subtle, helping them become familiar with tricky words. “It increases their memory, versus them needing to go find the answer,” said Tyler.

4. Spelling bees illustrate the joy of trying your best.

Whether or not a student connects with spelling, participating in a spelling bee is a great way to get to know themselves as learners. Within a low-stakes, ungraded environment, students feel safe trying something new, challenging themselves, and recognizing they can do hard things.

It encourages you to practice for things, even when they’re hard. And even when something’s really hard, when you practice it, it makes you a lot better.—Kinley P., grade 4

In Tyler’s classroom, for instance, students begin with both the fourth- and fifth-grade Scripps lists and have at least two weeks to prepare. Participation isn’t required, but Tyler does expect students to verbally opt out during the first round of the classroom bee if they don’t want to compete. Few take him up on the offer.

“Most of them try,” he said.

And regardless of how far they advance, most students walk away from the spelling bee feeling positive and more confident, knowing they did their best. This was certainly the case for Kinley, who practiced every day for 30 minutes (her favorite word to spell is hors d'oeuvres) and sees the spelling bee as an important growth experience.

“It encourages you to practice for things, even when they’re hard,” she said. “And even when something’s really hard, when you practice it, it makes you a lot better.”

Kudos to all the third, fourth, and fifth graders who participated in this year’s spelling bee, and congratulations to the 2026 classroom bee winners: fifth graders Ava A., Robin M., and Sophie S.; fourth graders Assylay A., Rory C., Kinley P., and Abi W.; and third graders Emma C., Aashna P., and Daisy S.

After 12 rounds of competition, Ava was crowned Rowland Hall’s 2026 spelling champion for the second year in a row; the winning word was pizzeria. Kinley was named first runner-up and Sophie was named second runner-up. Because Ava participated in last year’s regional spelling bee, she elected to skip that level of competition this year, allowing both Kinley and Sophie to experience it for the first time.

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