Thursday afternoon saw several rounds unfold before the Carrollton City Schools 2025 Spelling Bee champion was decided, with seventh grader Wills Herman earning the title in this year’s competition.
Battling in the final rounds with runner-up Shuvana K.C., a fourth grader, Wills eventually claimed the victory when he correctly spelled “bibliophile.”
The grade-level winners who competed were fourth grader Jude Caubo, fifth grader S.J. Hayes, sixth graders Aliyah Bhony and Cooper Murphy, seventh grader Amaiya DeShields, and eighth grader Grey Jackson. Two other students, fifth grader Judson Hardy and eighth grader Eli Simpson, placed in their school-level competitions.
Volunteer Fae Kelley has officiated since her son, Thomas Cox, a graduate of Carrollton High School, was in junior high more than three decades ago. She shared that the spelling bee originated to help students build vocabulary knowledge and endurance through intellectual challenge.
“My favorite thing about the spelling bee is that it pulls together the community,” said Kelley. “I am always looking for community involvement when selecting the panel of judges.”
This year’s judges were Paula Holmes-Solomon, Theresa Davis and Joe Lipham.
The winner advances to the Region 4 spelling bee on Feb. 22. The event is sponsored by the Carrollton Association of Educators, while the Georgia Association of Educators sponsors the region and state bees. This year marks the 100th year of the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition.
