Arizona Spelling Bee 2017

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Each year, the state’s best spellers in grades K-8 come together for the Arizona Spelling Bee to determine who will represent Arizona in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Arizona PBS, the Arizona Spelling Bee is taped at the Arizona PBS studios on the downtown Phoenix campus of Arizona State University.

The winner and an escort receive an all-expense paid trip to our nation’s capital to compete with spellers from across the U.S. on May 31 – June 1, 2017.

An Arizona PBS original production made possible by the Arizona Educational Foundation.

The Spelling Bee challenges children to utilize their spelling and phonetic skills in a competitive environment. The finalists must first win a series of competitions at local, district and regional or county levels. The 27 winners from the county spelling bees compete in the 2017 Arizona Spelling Bee.

2017 finalists:

Kameryn Greer
8th Grade
St. Johns Middle School
(St. Johns)
Emma Nguyen
4th Grade
Town and Country Elementary School
(Sierra Vista)
Katrina Vollmer
8th Grade
San Francisco de Asis Catholic School
(Flagstaff)
Dennis Davis
6th Grade
Lee Kornegay Intermediate School
(Miami)
Maria Dannenbrink
6th Grade
Triumphant Learning Center
(Safford)
Isabella Campbell
4th Grade
Metcalf Elementary
(Morenci)
Jonathon Beckett
8th Grade
Quartzsite Elementary School
(Quartzsite)
Aviél Martínez-Mason
7th Grade
Gililland Middle School
(Tempe)
Audrey Wood
7th Grade
St. John Bosco Catholic School
(Phoenix)
Angelina Mann
8th Grade
Explorer Middle School
(Phoenix)
Nicola Ferguson
8th Grade
Sunrise Middle School
(Scottsdale)
Layla Torres
6th Grade
Augustus H. Shaw Montessori School
(Phoenix)
Lindsay Davis
7th Grade
Vista del Sur Accelerated Academy
(Laveen)
Iscent George
7th Grade
Legacy Traditional School-Glendale
(Glendale)
Sarah Samuel
7th Grade
Sunset Heights Elementary School
(Peoria)
Ayla Dunton
5th Grade
Homeschoolers 4 Him
(Tolleson)
Abby Noel
8th Grade
Legacy Traditional School Avondale
(Avondale)
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Adelyn Dao
8th Grade
Desert Ridge Jr. High School
(Mesa)

Penda Ba
8th Grade
Sossaman Middle School
(Queen Creek)
Maggie Jensen
8th Grade
Yucca Elementary School
(Yucca)
Jett Jue
7th Grade
Winslow Jr. High School
(Winslow)
Nihal Josyula
4th Grade
Basis Tucson – Primary
(Tucson)
Jillian Smith
8th Grade
Esperero Canyon Middle School
(Tucson)
Betzaida Molina
7th Grade
Villago Middle School
(Casa Grande)
John Ferdinand Tatil II
8th Grade
Lourdes Catholic School
(Nogales)
Tanner Dodt
7th Grade
Heritage Christian Home Educators
(Prescott Valley)
Spandan Gandhi
8th Grade
San Luis Middle School
(San Luis)

*contestants arranged in alphabetical order by county

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