RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – It took a herculean effort, but Albert Hill Middle School student Bella Nathanson won the Richmond Public Schools’ Citywide Spelling Bee Feb. 6 at Mary Munford Elementary School.
Nathanson, who won the bee when she correctly spelled “herculean” in the 9th round, won last year’s bee as well. She will represent Richmond at the Richmond Times-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee on March 8.
Third grade Westover Hills Elementary School student Stephen Maiga is first runner-up.
“This year’s Citywide Spelling Bee was perhaps one of the most competitive we’ve witnessed in recent memory,” Richmond Public Schools’ instructional specialist for gifted programs Anthony Washington said in a statement. “There were several students who advanced into the later rounds of the competition by spelling words far above their grade level.”
