Scripps Spelling Bee 2018: Meet Chicago's Spellers

More than 500 spellers will take part in 2018’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, which officially kicked off Tuesday in Maryland. Of the 519 participants taking part in the annual competition, 26 are from Illinois.

The preliminary rounds take place Tuesday and Wednesday and the finals will be held on Thursday, May 31. On Tuesday and Wednesday, you can watch the Bee on ESPN 3. For the finals, tune into ESPN 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. eastern for Part 1 and for Part 2, tune into ESPN at 7:30 p.m.

The preliminaries consist of a multiple choice test and two rounds of spelling onstage, known as round 2 and round 3, respectively, Scripps explains. Spellers are eliminated for spelling incorrectly in either of the onstage rounds. After rounds 2 and 3, no more than 50 spellers head to the finals. (Read the full competition rules here.)

Here are the Chicago spellers taking part in the competition:

1. Ethan Ayersman, No. 195

Age: 14 | Grade: Eighth

School: St. John of the Cross Parish School

Sponsor: St. John of the Cross Parish School

Favorite Author: Harper Lee

Favorite Sports Figure: Drew Brees

Favorite Musicial Act: Fallout Boy

2. William Farrell III, No. 154

Age: 13 | Grade: Seventh

School: Immaculate Conception — St. Joseph School

Sponsor: Immaculate Conception — St. Joseph School

Favorite Author: Marie Lu

Favorite Movie: "The Martian"

Favorite Actor: Matt Damon

3. Jaden Fellows, No. 186

Age: 12 | Grade: Sixth

School: The Latin School of Chicago

Sponsor: Chicago Spelling Bee Collaborative

Favorite Food: Enchiladas

Favorite Musician: Kendrick Lamar

Favorite Subject: Math

Jaden previously competed in 2017 (tied for 189th place).

4. Riya Joshi, No. 187

Age: 13 | Grade: Seventh

School: Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

Sponsor: Chicago Public Schools

Favorite Movie: "Black Panther"

Favorite Musician: Ed Sheeran

Favorite Historical Figure: Barack Obama

Riya previously competed in 2017 (tied for 189th place).

Check back with Patch, and we’ll keep you updated with how the Illinois spellers perform.

And if you’re curious about whether you have what it takes to compete in the Bee, you can take the preliminaries test to find out.

Photo by Mark Bowen | Scripps Spelling Bee