A Champion Among Us: Josephine Wins First Place at the Spelling Bee of Canada Regional Competition (Next Up: Nationals!)

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We are thrilled to celebrate a remarkable achievement by one of our very own students—Josephine—who has emerged as a regional champion in the prestigious Spelling Bee of Canada!

Josephine, a standout student in the 9–11 age category, made our school community incredibly proud by taking first place in the Spelling Bee of Canada’s Etobicoke/North York West Regional competition. With her impressive performance, Josephine has earned a coveted spot in the National Championships taking place this May, where she will represent her chapter against the best young spellers from across the country.

Josephine shared her journey with classmates and faculty earlier this week, proudly bringing in her trophy and a big smile. She also reflected on the hard work and excitement that led to this moment:

“I participated in the Spelling Bee of Canada competition in early April. 

Out of the 17 contestants in my chapter (Etobicoke/North York West) for my age category of 9–11 years, I placed first, which I am very happy about. 

We were given a list of 400 words to study. If any word is spelled incorrectly, you would get eliminated. After 6 rounds, only 6 contestants remained and we moved onto the tie breaker round where we were tested on words outside of the given word list. 

After another 6 rounds, where I was stumped by the word ‘pontiff’, which luckily my competitor also misspelled, I became the champion. I will be going to the National Championships in late May to compete with the champions from all chapters across Canada. 

I was very nervous during the competition, scared I would spell a word incorrectly and be eliminated. However, it was a rewarding experience and I learned a lot of new vocabulary and even earned a cash prize! 

I would encourage everyone to consider registering for next year’s Spelling Bee of Canada!”

Josephine’s success is a testament to her dedication, hard work, and love of learning. Preparing for the competition involved countless hours of studying and practicing spelling strategies—skills that will serve her well far beyond the Bee.

We are so proud of Josephine not only for her incredible achievement, but also for her humility and encouragement of others to participate in the future. Her story is a shining example of what passion, preparation, and perseverance can achieve.

Please join us in congratulating Josephine and wishing her the best of luck as she heads to the Spelling Bee of Canada National Championships this May!

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