JACKSON, Miss. – The 2018 Mississippi Spelling Bee will broadcast live at 10 a.m. March 13 on Mississippi Public Broadcasting Television. Forty-six students from several school districts will compete.
“MPB is always proud to showcase the talents of Mississippi students,” said John Gibson, MPB's Director of Television. “For those who can’t attend the Spelling Bee, we’re glad to offer a front row seat via our live, statewide broadcast."
The spelling bee will take place at the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium at Jackson State University for the first time. As a result of the venue change, seating is open to the public.
The event is sponsored by the Mississippi Association of Educators. Former Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson will be a judge in this year’s competition.
The winner of the Mississippi competition will attend Bee Week May 27 through June 1 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland and the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
See chart below for names, schools and districts of Mississippi competitors. Get more information online at http://www.mpbonline.org/spellingbee/.
Participant Name | Grade | Age | School Name | District | |
Tavia Morris | 6th | 12 | Robert Lewis Magnet School | Natchez Adams School District | |
Carlee McCarter | 8th | 13 | Alcorn Central Middle School | Alcorn County School District | |
Jy'Mya Robinson | 6th | 11 | Amite County Elementary | Amite County School District | |
Laymaya Cowna | 8th | 13 | Ashland Middle School | Benton County School District | |
Iris Xue | 6th | 12 | Hayes Cooper Center | Cleveland School District | |
Kerri Wilson | 7th | 13 | Red Water Elementary | Choctaw Tribal Schools | |
Elise Ellington | 7th | 13 | W. A. Higgins | Clarksdale Municipal School District | |
J'Niaya Evans | 7th | 13 | Quitman Jr. High School | Quitman (Clarke) County School District | |
Norah Johnson | 8th | 14 | Sacred Heart School | Catholic Elementary School | |
Andrew Marcev | 6th | 11 | Presbyterian Christian School | Forrest County School District | |
Gracie Fry | 6th | 11 | Central Elementary | George County School District | |
Matthew Simpson | 6th | 11 | St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School | Harrison County School District | |
Josh Carter | 6th | 11 | Lovett Elementary School | Clinton Public School District | |
Ashantis Wigley | 8th |
| Humphreys County Junior High School | Humphreys County School District | |
Ammoni Isby | 8th | 13 | Dorsey Attendance Center | Itawamba County School District | |
Lucia Barberena | 8th | 14 | Homeschool | Jackson County School District | |
JaDarius Hooker | 8th | 13 | J. E. Johnson Elementary School | Jefferson Davis County | |
Easton Chandler | 6th | 11 | Moselle Elementary | Jones County School District | |
Nathan Woo | 8th | 14 | Oxford Middle School | Oxford School District | |
Yolanda Ni | 7th | 12 | Oak Grove Middle School | Lamar County School District | |
Katie Smith | 7th | 13 | Clarkdale Middle School | Lauderdale County School District | |
Camille Wade | 7th | 12 | Guntown Middle School | Lee County School District | |
Adrianna Brown | 6th | 11 | Davis Elementary | Greenwood Public School District | |
Ashton Ogletree | 6th | 12 | Lipsey Middle School | Brookhaven School District | |
Chloe Barr | 7th | 13 | Heritage Academy | Private College Preparatory School | |
Natalia Igwebuike | 7th | 12 | St. Joseph Catholic School | Catholic Diocese of Jackson | |
Sierra Lochala | 6th | 11 | Hatley Attendance Center | Monroe School District | |
Hob Carleton | 5th | 10 | Union Middle School | Newton County School District | |
Autumn Conaway | 6th | 12 | Pope Elementary School | South Panola School District | |
Carson Smith | 6th | 12 | Pearl River Central Middle | Pearl River Central School District | |
Jacob Tidwell | 6th | 11 | North Pontotoc Upper Elementary School | Pontotoc County | |
Larissa Foust | 8th | 14 | Jumpertown High School | Prentiss County School District | |
Vaibhavi Mahajan | 8th | 13 | Northwest Rankin Middle School | Rankin County School District | |
Lynazia Walker | 8th | 13 | Mendenhall Junior High School | Simpson County School District | |
Julia Scholemer | 5th | 11 | Overstreet Elementary School | Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District | |
Lindsey Breland | 7th | 12 | Stone Middle School | Stone County School District | |
Malanchi Edwards | 7th | 12 | Drew Hunter Middle | Sunflower School District | |
Persephanie Tanna | 5th | 11 | R. H. Bearden Elementary School | West Tallahatchie School District | |
Denise Tennison | 5th | 10 | Walnut Elementary School | North Tippah School District | |
Jésus Ramirez | 7th | 13 | Burnsville Elementary | Tishomingo County School District | |
Christian Fonseca | 4th | 9 | New Albany Elementary | New Albany School District | |
Paula Meer | 8th | 13 | Vicksburg Junior High School | Vicksburg Warren School District | |
Maddox Walker | 7th | 12 | Clara School | Wayne County | |
Concordia Cork, II | 5th | 11 | Eupora Elementary | Webster County School District | |
Max Potier | 5th | 10 | Holy Trinity Catholic School | Diocese of Biloxi | |
Madison Bush | 7th | 13 | Leland School Park | Leland School District | |
