Four Kansas City-area Students Participate in 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee

KANSAS CITY, Mo: A Strong Representation at the National Level

Four talented students from the Kansas City area proudly join the ranks in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. The competition saw a total of 245 participants from all over the country and also included participants from Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

This year’s contestants from the Kansas City area are as follows:

• Mariah Coffey, 13, a seventh-grader at Harrisonville Middle School in Harrisonville
• Garrett Fry, 13, an eighth-grader at Delta Woods Middle School in Independence
• Emory Jobe, 14, an eighth-grader at Mission Trail Middle School in Olathe
• Ellie Wattenbarger, 14, an eighth-grader at Hamilton Middle School in Hamilton, Missouri

Student Insights: Pre-Contest Perspectives

Mariah, who describes her preparation as a process of remaining calm and focusing on memorization, has expressed her pride in her achievements. Further shedding light on her experience at the competition, she stated, “It’s just a good experience to go there and be in Washington, D.C.”

Garrett, a previous participant at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, took on the challenge this year with renewed ambition. He said, “Obviously my goal was to succeed, but I can’t say I really expected to be where I was. This year I set maybe too high of a bar now…well, no such thing, now I’m trying to beat that.”

Emory, initially hesitant to participate, ultimately decided to represent her district. She spoke about her favorite word to spell – “achernar,” the brightest star in a constellation.

Ellie, participated in the spelling bee for the first time in the sixth grade. With two years of dedicated training, she is now moving forward to stand on the national platform, stating, “It’s exciting, and it made me a little nervous, but I feel like I’m ready for it.”

The Competition Structure

The preliminary stages of the competition were held with all 245 spellers getting an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge on stage. The quarterfinals, held on Wednesday, were followed by the semi-finals that same evening.

After a long and thrilling journey of words, the champion will be determined after the final round. What remains to be seen now is how the competition will unfold, and who will be crowned as the winner of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Note: The update as of May 28, 2024, indicates that Emory Jobe was knocked out in the first preliminary round. Mariah Coffey could not make it past the second preliminary round; Ellie Wattenbarger was eliminated in the third preliminary round.