Elementary and middle school students from Southeast Ohio gathered to compete in a regional competition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Regional Competition for the first time at Schoonover Center at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.
Thirteen students representing Athens, Jackson, Scioto, Vinton, Gallia, Lawrence and Meigs counties competed in the spelling bee for the title of 2025 Regional Champion, but one prevailed: Joseph Keffer, a 10-year-old fifth grader from Chesapeake Middle School in Lawrence County.
“Once I got the (list of words), I just started studying,” Keffer said.
Chuck Borghese, event emcee and Ohio University professor, said the Scripps National Spelling Bee regional competition bridges school spelling bees and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Participants are tested on spelling from a list of more than 470,000 words, correctly applying language concepts and patterns.
“It’s all about continued study and learning, not just the words on the study list, but language patterns, so roots, the way that words are put together, just those building blocks,” Corrie Loeffler, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, said. “At the national competition, it’s not just about memorizing a list of words. It's about becoming a ‘word detective,’ we like to say.”
Loeffler said Keffer showed he was very prepared for the regional competition, as he even corrected a pronunciation.
“Participating in a spelling bee helps you build confidence, gain public speaking experience, practice poise under pressure and set personal goals,” Borghese said. Saturday was the first time OU hosted the competition. The Patton College of Education and E.W. Scripps School of Journalism partnered to make it happen, according to an OHIO News release.
Elizabeth Hendrickson, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Director of Honors Tutorial Studies, worked with Julie Barnhart Francis, the Patton College Director of the Edward Stevens Literacy Center, to spearhead bringing the competition to Athens.
“I feel like we're just really great partners because they have the Literacy Center, we have journalism, and the kids coming here might be exactly the market that we would want in our respective programs,” Hendrickson said. “They’re smart and driven, and we just like to be the ambassadors for that kind of energy.” Hendrickson said there are a few more kinks to work out if they want to host again next year, and hopefully, they will.
Not only did Keffer win the title of 2025 Regional Champion but also a 6-night stay in Washington D.C. for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May, among other rewards, Borghese said.
Keffer said he is excited to go to D.C. with his sister and parents as they have all wanted to go together. He will go on to represent Southeast Ohio in May.
“I think Joseph is going to be our secret weapon (in the National Spelling Bee),” Hendrickson said. “I think you do not underestimate that individual.”
