Northern Hills Middle School Student Wins Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Elliott Covelle spelled "hagiographer" correctly in the final round to clinch the win at the 48^th annual Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee presented by Kent ISD.  Covelle, an 8th-grade student at Northern Hills Middle School in Forest Hills, placed third in last year’s event. This year, she took home the top prize at the event on March 19 at Kent ISD’s Conference Center after multiple rounds of spelling and vocabulary, edging out fourteen student winners of regional qualifier bees in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo, Allegan and Barry counties. 

The competition is in the format of a spelldown in which each speller receives one word per round. They must spell the word correctly in order to advance to the next round. The final speller standing becomes the champion and this year that honor was awarded to Eilliott Covelle.  The second-place finisher was Vonn Oosterhouse, a 7th-grade student from Northern Hills Middle School. Third place went to Karsen Wagenmaker, a 7th-grade student at Fremont Middle School in Newaygo County. Fourth place was awarded to Cole Pearson, a 5th-grade student at Wealthy Elementary in East Grand Rapids. Each received a Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary, 11^th edition. Personalized Regional Winner trophies were awarded to all 15 students who participated in the Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee.

Elliott Covelle will compete at the 100^th Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals May 27-29.   She was awarded a trip for herself and a parent to travel to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center where the finals will be held near Washington, D.C. Additional prizes awarded to Covelle include the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, 2025 United States Mint Proof Set, a one-year subscription to Britannica online premium, and a Merriam-Webster Unabridged online certificate.