Rhode Island State Spelling Bee is this Saturday

No. Providence’s Yilmaz Kasapoglu among the contenders

LINCOLN – The 2017 Rhode Island Spelling Bee Championship returns this Saturday, March 11, to the Lincoln Middle School auditorium, beginning at 10 a.m.

Twenty-seven spellers from around the state, including two who made it to the final rounds last year, will gather for this annual event sponsored by The Valley Breeze.

Not competing this year is two-time state winner Christopher Relyea of Lincoln, who as an 8th-grader transferred to the honors 8th-grade class of Bishop Hendricken High School this year.

His chief rival of years past and also a state winner, Stephen Landry of North Kingstown, moved on to high school this year, so he also isn’t eligible.

Cumberland’s Nolan Rogalski, who attends Community Elementary School, has a shot at picking up the champion’s baton. He will be joined on stage by Giovanna Landrie, an 8th-grader at Deering Middle School in West Warwick. Both survived to 19 rounds last year before losing to champs Landry and Relyea.

This is the 11th time The Valley Breeze has sponsored the state bee. This year 27 participants will spell off until a single winner remains to represent Rhode Island at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in May.

Breeze Publisher Tom Ward is the coordinator and will offer welcoming remarks.

Returning as the the spelling bee’s emcee and pronouncer will be Jared Pliner of WPRI Channel 12 News.

Veteran judges are Donna Morelle, former Cumberland schools superintendent; Martha Correia of Navigant Credit Union and Leigh Martin, professor of English at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Sponsors are Navigant Credit Union, Anchor Auto Group, Hunter Insurance and Dave’s Marketplace.

Returning for a third time like Landrie will be Zoe Fournier-Swire, a 7th-grader in the Bristol-Warren school system. She made it to the seventh round last year, sitting down on the word curriculum.

Back for a second time will be the youngest competitor, Aathraey Shrikanth of Lincoln, a 3rd-grader at the Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy in Cumberland. BVP’s Executive Director Jeremy Chiappetta calls Aathraey “a spelling beast” who out-spelled students in grades 4 to 7 to win a second appearance this year after his 2016 attempt was cut short in the first round when he missed the word angelic.

During district competition this year, he spelled detestable and moiety to secure his spot on the state stage, according to Jen LoPiccolo, director of external affairs for BVP.

Also returning is Newport’s Kai Sprunger, a 5th-grader at Thompson Middle School and Smithfield’s Anna Costello, grade 5, of the William Winsor School.

This year will see three contenders from Catholic Diocese of Providence schools – Thomas Scorpio of Cranston, grade 8, of St. Mary School; Caden Dillon, Warwick, grade 7, of St. Kevin School; Emma Cotter, Cumberland, grade 7, Good Shepherd School.

Twenty-four parochial schools held mini-bees to narrow contestants down to the three allowed under Breeze rules that permits one student per eight schools. The same number would have been allowed for independent schools, home-schooled and charter schools, although charters and independent schools sent one student each and home-schooled students are not participating.

Additional contenders in the Breeze circulation area are:

Lolith Chatragadda, grade 7, Lincoln Middle School.

Yilmaz Kasapoglu, grade 6, Birchwood Middle School in North Providence.

Emma Larsh, grade 7, Scituate Middle School.

Brennan Drolet, grade 6, North Smithfield Middle School.

Liam Dixon, grade 5, Capt. Isaac Paine School in Foster.