2 Maine Students In National Spelling Bee

AUGUSTA, ME — C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N. Maine students Naomi Zarin and Neil St. John likely will not see such an easy word in this week's National Spelling Bee but it is what the expert spellers hope to become. The 90th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held Wednesday and Thursday in Maryland and Zarin and St. John are two of 291 finalists vying for the $40,000 grand prize.

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Zarin, 13, is an eighth-graders at the Friends School of Portland. St. John, 13, is an eighth-grader at Bangor Christian School. Zarin earned a spot in the bee after winning the Portland Press Herald spelling contest. St. John earned a spot by winning the Husson University spelling contest.

"Naomi enjoys reading (especially Harry Potter and Percy Jackson & the Olympians), writing, acting, eating, watching cooking shows, singing loudly along to the radio, and spending time with her friends," Zarin's spelling bee biography reads. "She won her first poetry contest at age six. Naomi’s favorite foods include crème brûlée, dumplings and limoncello sorbet. She dreams of being a bubble farmer, except she's pretty sure that isn't a real thing."

"Neil loves to read, especially science fiction, mystery and fantasy," St. John's spelling bee biography reads. "He also loves the outdoors and outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking and swimming. His favorite subject in school is history. Neil competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2015, and when he competes this year, it will be his third trip to Washington, D.C."

The preliminary round is Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is being streamed on the WatchESPN service. The first round of finals is Thursday at 10 a.m. and it will be televised on ESPN2. The second round of finals is Thursday at 8 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN.

Photo: Naomi Zarin and Neil St. John. (Credit: spellingbee.com)