Connecticut's Top Spellers Coming To College In WeHa Sunday

Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Given that West Hartford is the literal hometown of the man who practically invented the dictionary, it's only appropriate it hosts the state's top spelling bee.

On Sunday, March 3, the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford is hosting the Connecticut Spelling Bee, with spellers having the chance to represent Connecticut in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The public is invited to cheer on Connecticut’s top spellers, as the event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

The seventh annual event is being presented by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, Connecticut’s official regional partner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

It all starts at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hoffman Auditorium at the University of Saint Joseph, located at 1678 Asylum Ave. in West Hartford.

To compete in the Connecticut Spelling Bee, participants must excel in their school- or town-wide spelling bee.

In some cases, that means being the top speller out of as many as 1,200 students, according to a release by the Noah Webster House.

More than 10,000 Connecticut students in grades 2-8 participated in the spelling bee program this year.

Out of that number, 57 are eligible to move on to The Connecticut Spelling Bee, making 2024 the most competitive Connecticut Spelling Bee in recent history.

“As Connecticut’s official sponsor of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the Noah Webster House is proud to present The Connecticut Spelling Bee to students from all across the state and we eagerly await this year’s competition,” said Jeffrey Mainville, executive director of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. “The students who made it this far are inspiring and we look forward to a spirited showdown.”

This year, schools from all eight of Connecticut’s counties participated in the spelling bee program.

The winner will represent the state at the Scripps National Spelling Bee May 26-31 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Port Washington, Md.

Last year’s Connecticut winner, sixth-grader Nathan Settevendemie from Somers’ Mabelle B. Avery Middle School, made it to Round 5 in the national competition, tying for 57th place.

In addition to traveling to Scripps National Spelling Bee, the top Connecticut speller will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the University of Saint Joseph.

For more information about The Connecticut Spelling Bee, contact Alex Gerrish at 860-502-3247 or via email at events@noahwebsterhouse.org.

For more information on the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, click on this link.

Schools represented at Sunday's spelling bee are: Academic Homeschool (Westport), Academy For International Studies (Danbury), Alcott School (Wolcott), Andover Elementary School (Andover), Bristow Middle School (West Hartford), Bungay School (Seymour), Carrigan 5/6 Intermediate School (West Haven), Center School (East Hampton), Charles H Barrows Stem Academy (North Windham), Cloonan School (Stamford), CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering 6-12 (Windsor), Daniels Farm School (Trumbull), East Hampton Middle School (East Hampton), East Lyme Middle School (Niantic), Fields Memorial School (Bozrah), Glenville School (Greenwich), Great Plain School (Danbury), H. S. Chase School (Waterbury), Harry M. Bailey Middle School (West Haven), Helen Keller Middle School (Easton), High Horizons Magnet School (Bridgeport), Homeschool Education (Plainville), Hughes Homeschool (Newtown), Illing Middle School (Manchester), Interdistrict Discovery Magnet School (Bridgeport), Jumoke Academy (Hartford), King Philip Middle School (West Hartford), Mabelle B Avery Middle School (Somers), Mary R. Fisher Elementary School (North Grosvenor Dale), Middlesex Middle School (Darien), Milner Middle School (Hartford), Multicultural Magnet School (Bridgeport), North Stonington Elementary School (North Stonington), Northwestern Regional Middle School (Winsted), Old Greenwich School (Old Greenwich), Oxford Middle School (Oxford), Park City Magnet School (Bridgeport), Pearson Middle School (Winsted), Pembroke School (Danbury), Renzulli Academy (Hartford), Sandy Hook Elementary School (Sandy Hook), Scotts Ridge Middle School (Ridgefield), Sedgwick Middle School (West Hartford), Seven Acres Montessori School (Wilton), Seymour Middle School (Seymour), Somers Elementary School (Somers), Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy (Orange), Spencer School (Middletown), Strawberry Hill International School (Stamford), The Gilbert School (Winsted), Thomaston Center School (Thomaston), Thompson Middle School (North Grosvenor Dale), Toquam Magnet School (Stamford), Torrington Middle School (Torrington), Totoket Valley Elementary School (Northford), Vernon Center Middle School (Vernon), and Westbrook Middle School (Westbrook).