The Connecticut Spelling Bee will return to West Hartford on Sunday, March 3 and participants will compete for the chance to represent the state at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. This year, schools from all eight of Connecticut’s counties participated in the spelling bee program, including Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy in Orange.
The seventh annual Connecticut Spelling Bee is presented by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, Connecticut’s official regional partner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The competition begins at 1 p.m. at the Hoffman Auditorium at the University of Saint Joseph, located at 1678 Asylum Ave. in West Hartford.
Students who have made it to the Connecticut Spelling Bee have already won their school- or town-wide spelling bees. In some cases, that means being the top speller out of as many as 1,200 students. Over 10,000 Connecticut students in grades 2-8 participated in the spelling bee program this year. Out of that number, 57 are eligible to move on to the Connecticut Spelling Bee. This makes 2024 the most competitive Connecticut Spelling Bee in recent history, a number that continues to grow each year.
“As Connecticut’s official sponsor of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the Noah Webster House is proud to present The Connecticut Spelling Bee to students from all across the state and we eagerly await this year’s competition,” said Jeffrey Mainville, executive director of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. “The students who made it this far are inspiring and we look forward to a spirited showdown.”
The winner of the Connecticut Spelling Bee will represent the state at the Scripps National Spelling Bee May 26 through May 31 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Port Washington, Maryland. In addition to traveling to Scripps National Spelling Bee, the top Connecticut speller will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the University of Saint Joseph.
The Connecticut event is free and open to the public (first come, first served). Doors open at 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact Alex Gerrish by phone at 860-502-3247 or email at events@noahwebsterhouse.org.