Southampton Spelling Bee Champ On To Next Challenge

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A seventh-grade spelling superstar is on to the next round.

Southampton Intermediate School seventh grader Damian Morales took the top spot in his school’s annual spelling bee on Jan. 19. Following Morales was sixth grader Matthew Lesta, the district said.

The pair were two of 37 students who competed in the final spelling bee round, following classroom rounds held earlier in the week. The top-scoring student of each class moved into the final schoolwide competition.

Morales now has an opportunity to compete in the local round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the district said.