Champion: can you repeat the word? Tuckahoe Middle School eighth grade student Rohith “Ro” Thomas repeated as champion of Henrico County Public Schools’ Divisionwide Spelling Bee Thursday night. The 13-year-old spelled “ubiquity” to win the title in the eighth round of the bee, held this year at J.R. Tucker High School.
Tessa Winsor, an eighth grader at Quioccasin Middle School, was runner-up. The annual competition includes spelling champions from each of HCPS’ elementary and middle schools.
Among the words Ro spelled correctly to win the title were “penitentiary,” “cloture” and “annuity.”
After the bee, the winner was presented with the HCPS spelling trophy by division representatives, including Kristi Kinsella, the Henrico School Board’s Brookland District representative. The trophy, topped with a whimsical bee, will be on display at Tuckahoe until at least next January, when a new champion is crowned.
Ro will now move on to represent Henrico County Public Schools in the Richmond Raceway Regional Spelling Bee. The regional winner will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is held the week of Memorial Day and televised by ESPN.