At the Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) Spelling Bee in mid-February, more than 55 elementary and middle school campus champions stepped into the spotlight, tackling words from official study lists and unfamiliar words presented in real time.

The bee was organized and sponsored by the Advanced Academic Studies Department under the leadership of Director Tracy Scholz, Ed.D., and Gifted and Talented Facilitator Linda Bimler.

Each student at the district spelling bee was already a winner, having claimed victory at their respective campuses last semester. All spent hours practicing and studying independently, with family members and using various spelling bee apps to prepare for the district-level competition.

Roberta Smiley, the SBISD Spelling Bee coordinator and a former National Spelling Bee finalist, provided tutoring sessions on Zoom for contestants who wished to participate.

Lorenzo Roman of Northbrook Middle School (NMS) said he used an app to prepare and practiced spelling in front of family and friends. To calm his nerves, he used deep breathing techniques and told himself, “Even if I lose, I did my best.”

17 rounds, 253 words

During the bee, Smiley gave each contestant a word to spell and, upon request, provided the definition, language of origin, alternate pronunciation and part of speech. She could also repeat the word and use it in a sentence to offer additional context.

Some words were easy (neon), some challenging (magnanimous), some vintage (corduroy), some tricky (pizzeria) and some rare (puissance).

Joon Choi of Memorial Middle School (MMS) said asking for the language of origin was helpful when spelling dissolution.

“Since it had a Greek origin, I learned in my studying that words from this origin often have a double s in them,” he said. The strategy helped him spell the word correctly in Round 6.

One by one, students approached the microphone in front of Smiley and four spelling bee officials, who conferred on whether each word was spelled correctly. Some students appeared nervous, some spoke loudly and confidently, some took their time to spell deliberately, and others wrote the words on their hands or in the air to visualize the letters.

As spellers were eliminated over a series of rounds, they exited the stage and received a certificate and medal for their hard work and participation.

Gavin Bone of Nottingham Elementary (NHE) had several family members in the audience supporting him. His grandfather, Michael Christman, said, “This brings back memories of when I competed in an elementary spelling bee at St. Norbert College in Green Bay, Wisconsin.” That competition is also where he met his future wife, who was a contestant from another school.

And then there were two

By Round 16, just two spellers remained on stage at Westchester Academy of International Studies (WAIS): speller No. 14, Noah White, a fifth grader from Sherwood Elementary (SWE), and speller No. 1, Quinn Nguyen-Lee, a seventh grader from Memorial Middle School (MMS).

Quinn prevailed by correctly spelling formulaic and synthesis, becoming the 2026 SBISD Spelling Bee champion. She will compete in the Houston City College Spelling Bee in late March. As the second-place finisher, Noah will be eligible to compete if Quinn is unable to attend. Each received a trophy, certificate and medal.

“I am really proud and happy because I worked really hard for this,” Quinn said.

To prepare, she practiced 30 minutes to an hour each day after winning the Memorial Middle School (MMS) bee, using provided word lists and the Word Club app. Her mother said she is proud of her daughter’s perseverance and dedication to becoming SBISD’s champion.

During the competition, Quinn was slow and deliberate when spelling, pronouncing each letter carefully.

“I really didn’t want to say something wrong,” she said.

View event photos

Good luck in the next round of competition, Quinn. We are #SBISDProud of you.