Local Homeschool Student Returns in Bid To Win Scripps National Spelling Bee

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A Stafford County student is among 285 spellers competing for the title of 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

The preliminary rounds began Tuesday at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., and continue through Wednesday afternoon.

Jesse Ditton, 14, an eighth-grader who is home-schooled, is among the contestants. Her sponsor is The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg

Her profile on the spelling bee website says: Jessie enjoys participating in 4-H and raising dairy goats. Besides her three goats, she also has nine other pets that include a chicken, a dog and a multitude of cats. An active person, Jessie also participates in gymnastics — her favorite sport — and cheerleading. In the future, Jessie would either like to be a veterinarian or a fashion designer, and would like to study veterinary medicine at Virginia Tech. Jessie previously competed in the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The spellers’ favorite words includeflibbertigibbet,onomatopoeia,schadenfreude,syzygy,tchotchke andtriskaidekaphobia.

Semifinalists will be announced late Wednesday afternoon, and broadcast live on ESPN3.

Semifinals competition is set for Thursday morning, with the championship round to be held Thursday evening. ESPN will broadcast the finals live starting at 8 p.m. ET.

»Photo of Jessie Ditton, courtesy of Mark Bowen/Scripps National Spelling Bee