Southwest Utah Students Shine at 8th Annual Regional Spelling Bee
Spelling Bee fever hit Southwest Utah yesterday as the SEDC hosted our 8th Annual Regional Spelling Bee. This exciting event brought together talented 3rd-8th grade students from five of our member school districts and local charter schools to showcase their academic dedication and sportsmanship.
A Highly Competitive Field
The competition was exceptionally fierce this year. While many competitions narrow down quickly, we still had 11 spellers standing after exhausting the “very hard” word list—a milestone we reached much earlier in previous years. Beyond their spelling skills, the students displayed incredible character, supporting one another with fist bumps and thumbs up throughout the rounds.
Meet Our 2026 Champions
After a nail-biting 17 rounds, we are proud to announce this year’s top performers:
- 1ST PLACE: Landry Holyoak from Delta Middle School (Millard School District). Landry secured the title in the 17th round by correctly spelling the championship word, “periodical.”
- 2ND PLACE: Greyson Zellner from Lava Ridge Intermediate (Washington County School District), who put up a fantastic fight until the 15th round when he misspelled the word “catalogic.”
- 3RD PLACE: Eileen Burrows from Delta Middle School (Millard School District). Eileen earned her spot after a thrilling 2-person spell-off where she correctly spelled “pittance,” eliminating Darby Whisenhunt from North Elementary School in Iron County.
Watch the Highlights
Every participant was honored with a Spelling Bee medal and a certificate to celebrate their tremendous efforts. If you missed the live event, you can watch the full replay on the SEDC YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@sedck12.
A Special Thank You to Our Hosts
An event of this magnitude is truly a cooperative effort, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible school and district hosts for their hospitality and support. Thanks to Jeralyn Shaw, Canyon View Middle School Principal for providing our amazing venue. Additional thanks to Superintendent Lance Hatch for providing a warm welcome to the Bee. We are honored to work alongside such passionate educators and administrators to serve the students of southwest Utah.
At SEDC, we are proud to provide these opportunities to meet the needs of our students and teachers while promoting achievement across our rural schools.
#sedck12 #UTed #ruralschools #education #spellingbee
