SANFORD, NC - Spellers from every elementary and middle school in the district convened on W.B. Wicker Auditorium for the 12th annual Lee County Schools District Spelling Bee last week. After dueling with a pair of challengers for ten rounds in a three-way spelling battle, Luke Windmeyer, a sixth grade student from SanLee Middle School, emerged victorious and will move on to represent the district in the Regional Spelling Bee hosted by the Carolina Panthers next month.
East Lee Middle School’s Kaylah Long and Tramway Elementary’s Emma Falls each put Windmeyer’s prowess under pressure as the trio correctly spelled 30 words in ten consecutive rounds after the other competitors had bowed out.
In the eleventh round of their duel, Long and Falls misspelled “auburn” and “bureau” leaving the door cracked for Windmeyer to advance to the championship round. To secure the opportunity to close out the Bee, Windmeyer correctly spelled “arbitrary” before sealing the victory in the championship round with a perfect spelling of “fajitas.”
The two runners-up had a spell off for second place with Kayla correctly spelling “tabulate” while Emma got stumped by “assailant” handing Long the second-place spot and first alternate honors.
The winning stories once again highlighted the importance of family support for academic success. “I prepared by practicing a few words each night with my parents. We would mark the ones that I got wrong on a note card so that I could review them in my free time,” said Windmeyer. “I have been in the county spelling bee in fourth, fifth and again this year in sixth grade,” he said. “I would encourage other kids that want to be in the spelling bee to just practice a lot, look at the words in your free time and think of them in your head.
After her second place finish Kayla Long said, “I prepared by studying the words, my mom really helped with that. She was the main helper, but my other family helped. This was my first time in the Bee and I felt like just seeing the other kids there and competing with them was really fun.”
Windmeyer now begins his preparation for the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee on March 9th at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. If he is able to finish in the top four spots, he will qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee which will be held in Washington D.C. on May 27-29, 2025.