Winner Advances to National Spelling Bee
CORNING, NY — The Corning Rotary Club once again sponsored the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee, which was held on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at the Corning-Painted Post Middle School. This year’s first place winner was Reed Fuchs, an eighth-grade student at the Alternative School for Math and Science in Corning, NY. The second-place winner was Sharon Hwang, a seventh grader at the Alternative School, and 
seventh grader Akshara Patil of Corning-Painted Post Middle School came in third.
seventh grader Akshara Patil of Corning-Painted Post Middle School came in third.The winner of the regional spelling bee advances to the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Corning Rotary Club, in partnership with the Canisteo, Endicott, Belmont, Orchard Park, and Bath Rotary Clubs, ServU Credit Union, and Campbell-Savona School District, and with other gifts from individual Rotarians and community donors, supports the champion speller and one parent or guardian by paying expenses to travel to the Washington, D.C.-area competition for “Bee Week,” May 26-May 31, 2024. Corning McDonald’s, Corning Wegmans, and the Corning-Painted Post School District provided in-kind support for the event.
This year’s Bee featured 84 student spellers from 43 area schools. Local school districts and homeschool organizations first conducted their own spelling bees for students in grades one through eight to identify one winner and one runner-up from each participating school.
Participation in spelling bees improves students’ spelling and vocabulary skills and helps them develop poise — a necessary skill for success in public speaking, performing arts and athletics.
About the Scripps National Spelling Bee:
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and longest-running educational program. The purpose of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives. Visit spellingbee.com for more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company.
About Rotary
Rotary is an international service club with the motto “Service above Self”. Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Visit rotary.org and endpolio.org for more about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio.