The 2026 Schuylkill County Regional Spelling Bee is fast approaching. This year’s event will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, at DHH Lengel Middle School Auditorium in Pottsville. A total of 42 students from schools across Schuylkill County will be competing for the honor of being the area’s top speller.
This year’s winner will earn the right to compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The Schuylkill County Regional Spelling Bee is sponsored by Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Council and coordinated by Schuylkill Technology Center.
“The Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Council, which operates the Your Employability Skills (YES) Program, has demonstrated a solid commitment to the youth of this community, and sponsoring the Bee aligned with that mission,” Courtney L. Fasnacht, executive director of NEPA MAEC, says.
In addition to earning the right to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, this year’s participants are vying for a trophy created and constructed by Nathan Elo, a senior at Blue Mountain School District who is enrolled in the Precision Machine Trades program at Schuylkill Technology Center. This year’s trophy features a bee that spins atop its base.
The winner also receives a $100 Visa gift card donated by Coal Region Canary, a one-year subscription for the premier online resource from Encyclopedia Britannica, and a one-year subscription for the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, the official word source for all levels of competition at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The runner-up will receive a $50 Visa gift card donated by Delta Kappa Gamma International Society.
For the second year in a row, Coal Region Canary is thrilled to participate as a judge in the Spelling Bee. Serving alongside as judges will be Cynthia Mensch, of Alvernia University; Devina Singh, a former Schuylkill County spelling champion and competitor in the Scripps National Spelling Bee; and Justin Reed, publisher of Skook News. Mary Ann Hedges will be this year’s pronouncer. Ashley Hess, of Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29, will be recordkeeper, Cathy Bronakowski is Appeals Judge, and Shannon Brennan, of Schuylkill Technology Center, is emcee.
Here is a list of the 44 competitors in this year’s Schuylkill County Regional Spelling Bee (and the alternates):
Assumption BVM
🐝 Isabella Gonzalez (Age: 13, Grade: 7)
🐝 Daniel Werner (Age: 12, Grade: 6)
Alternate: Owen Yutko
Blue Mountain Elementary School – East
🐝 Eli Fisher (Age: 11, Grade: 5)
🐝 Nora Lloyd (Age: 11, Grade: 5)
Alternate: Delaney Kramer
Blue Mountain Elementary School – West
🐝 Aurelia Poss-Frankel (Age: 10, Grade: 5)
🐝 Abigail Reber (Age: 10, Grade: 5)
Alternate: Ava Mennig
Blue Mountain Middle School
🐝 Rowena Cresswell-Blickley (Age: 14, Grade: 8) (🏆2025 Champion)
🐝 Abigail Rhode (Age: 14, Grade: 8)
Alternate: Owen Borger
DHH Lengel Middle School
🐝 Riley Jordan (Age: 14, Grade: 8)
🐝 Liam McShaw (Age: 13, Grade: 7)
Alternate: Lila Porter
Hegins-Hubley Elementary School
🐝 Finley Kramer (Age: 10, Grade: 5)
🐝 Jacob Rivera (Age: 11, Grade: 6)
Alternate: Isobel Roehl
Mahanoy Area Elementary School
🐝 Kenzhall Cruz (Age: 11, Grade: 5)
🐝 Juan Tovar (Age: 12, Grade: 6)
Alternate: Roger Cruz
Mahanoy Area Junior Senior High School
🐝 Victor Felipe (Age: 12, Grade: 7)
🐝 Jeffrey Salcedo (Age: 13, Grade: 7)
Alternate: Eduardo Vinas Vegas
Minersville Area Junior-Senior High School
🐝 Anabella Partington (Age: 13, Grade: 8)
Alternate: Lila Maley
North Schuylkill Elementary School
🐝 Lucy Anderson (Age: 10, Grade: 5)
🐝 Jayce Eroh (Age: 12, Grade: 6)
Alternates: Adrian Lawson, Lilly Young
North Schuylkill Junior-Senior High School
🐝 Mikayla Burke (Age: 14, Grade: 8)
🐝 Sophia Hubler (Age: 12, Grade: 7)
Alternates: Drew Wartman, Nathaniel Kilpatrick
Pine Grove Area Elementary School
🐝 Rylinn Hitz (Age: 9, Grade: 4)
🐝 Michaela Niemi (Age: 9, Grade: 4)
Alternate: Matthew Mearini
Pine Grove Area Middle School
🐝 Bryce Frymoyer (Age: 14, Grade: 8)
🐝 Emma Schwartz (Age: 14, Grade: 8)
Saint Clair Area Elementary-Middle School
🐝 Cole Houser (Age: 11, Grade: 6)
🐝 Albert Sockalosky (Age: 11, Grade: 6)
Alternate: Haven Hoffman
Saint Jerome Regional School
🐝 Wyatt Golarz-Morris (Age: 11, Grade: 6)
🐝 Gavin Woodring (Age: 14, Grade: 8)
Alternate: Addison Engleman
Shenandoah Valley Elementary School
🐝 Marcella Hernandez (Age: 11, Grade: 6)
🐝 Madelyn Reese (Age: 11, Grade: 5)
Alternate: Gannon Kluchinsky
Shenandoah Valley Junior-Senior High School
🐝 Viola Shannon (Age: 13, Grade: 7)
Tamaqua Area Middle School
🐝 Lucian Labiosa (Age: 13, Grade: 8)
🐝 Hyman Ye (Age: 11, Grade: 6)
Tamaqua Area Elementary School
🐝 Amanda Caraballo (Age: 10, Grade: 5)
Alternate: Nolan Runk
Tri-Valley Junior-Senior High School
🐝 Dayton Carl (Age: 13, Grade: 7)
🐝 Dennis Snyder (Age: 11, Grade: 6)
Alternate: Isobel Roehl
West Penn Elementary School
🐝 Ellie Bova (Age: 11, Grade: 5)
Alternate: Aydrian Houser
Williams Valley Elementary School
🐝 Julia Frenya (Age: 11, Grade: 5)
🐝 Brady Ventura (Age: 11, Grade: 5)
Williams Valley Junior-Senior High School
🐝 Kace Bach (Age: 12, Grade: 7)
🐝 Oscar Oravec (Age: 13, Grade: 7)
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