OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Two words, “stigmata” and “ulna” determined the 2024 Marion County Spelling Bee champs.
After 17 middle school students from throughout county went head-to-head Tuesday evening it came down to not one but two winners.
The 22nd annual event went 22 rounds, including the last 18 with just the two students battling it out for the title. Both were named as the top spellers following the judges’ decision to end the event with dual winners.
Cali Godwin, an eighth grader at Belleview Middle School, and Kathy Ly, a seventh grader at Liberty Middle School, walked away as the county’s champions. Each won a medal and cash prize from the Woman’s Club of Ocala, the event’s longtime sponsor along with Marion County Public Schools (MCPS).
Godwin and Ly collectively had five opportunities to capture the individual title by spelling the two championship words. Participating students represented the following middle schools: Belleview, Blessed Trinity, Dunnellon, Fort King, Fort McCoy, Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, Howard, Lake Weir, Liberty, and Osceola.
The annual spelling bee was held inside the Browne Greaton Cole Auditorium at Marion Technical Institute in Ocala.
Though recorded live for the MCPS YouTube Channel, the event will not air until April 1 to protect the Scripps word list and integrity of the national competition.