Word Conquistadors Shine at Regional Bee

After an extraordinary 17 rounds of competition and a final written test, a 2026 Orange County Regional Spelling Bee champion has officially been determined.

Luke Hand of C.J. Hooker Middle School (Goshen Central School District) has been named the first place winner and will represent Orange County at the National Spelling Bee. He secured the win by correctly spelling 44 out of 50 words on the proctored tie-breaker written test, which was administered on March 20. 

The regional bee, held on March 10 at the Axelrod Education Center on the OUB Amy Bull Crist Campus in Goshen, came to an end after the two eighth-grade competitors - Luke and Rex Heymer of Warwick Valley Middle School - ended in a draw. In accordance with Scripps National Spelling Bee rules, the evening’s competition concluded (it was a school night, after all) without a winner. It was announced that a written test would determine the contest.

Rex was awarded the second-place title and Nicole Santiago, a seventh-grade student from Heritage Middle School (Newburgh Enlarged City School District), earned a laudable third place in the competition.

Luke, Rex, and Nicole will receive custom engraved plaques provided by the Orange County School Boards Association with additional awards sponsored by the Community Foundation of Orange, Sullivan, and Rockland. The Orange County Regional Spelling Bee is co-sponsored by Orange-Ulster BOCES and the Orange County School Boards Association.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational event, bringing together top student spellers from across the United States and around the world. More than 10 million students compete in their hometown bees each fall. In February and March, school champions compete in Regional Qualifiers and Regional Competitions, and those winners advance to the National Spelling Bee, which will be held May 26-28 in the Washington, D.C. area. 

OUB proudly recognizes all middle school students who participated in this year’s event. Each competitor earned their place as a champion at their respective schools, demonstrating exceptional dedication and academic excellence:

• Chester Academy
  Chester Union Free School District
  Adair Navarrete Hernandez, Grade 8
  Sawyer McElroy, Grade 7
• Cornwall Middle School
  Cornwall Central School District
  Hyunjun Cha, Grade 8
  Liam Feudo, Grade 7
• C.J. Hooker Middle School
  Goshen Central School District
  Luke Hand, Grade 8
  James Donnelly, Grade 7
• Heritage Middle School
  Newburgh Enlarged City School District
  Arissa Guerin, Grade 8
  Nicole Santiago, Grade 7
• Meadow Hill Global Explorations Magnet School
  Newburgh Enlarged City School District
  Victoria Soto, Grade 7
• Minisink Valley Middle School
  Minisink Valley Central School District
  Noah Watley, Grade 8
  Luke Tice, Grade 7
• Port Jervis Middle School
  Port Jervis City School District
  Sofia Muratovic, Grade 8
  Lilianna Perez, Grade 7
• South Middle School
  Newburgh Enlarged City School District
  Gabriel Miller-Shaw, Grade 8
• Temple Hill Academy
  Newburgh Enlarged City School District
  Alae Dali, Grade 8
  Arfah Qaiser, Grade 7
• Valley Central Middle School
  Valley Central School District
  Adiyif Berzegova, Grade 8
  Liam Raux, Grade 7
• Warwick Valley Middle School
  Warwick Valley Central School District
  Rex Heymer, Grade 8
  Molly Brady, Grade 7
• Washingtonville Middle School
  Washingtonville Central School District
  Hailey Trapnell, Grade 8
  Kalyn Pope, Grade 7

The organizers of the Orange County Regional Spelling Bee extend their sincere appreciation to the parents, teachers, spelling bee coordinators, school board members, and the many family members and friends whose support made the event possible.