The top spellers from each school district in Northeast Florida will compete in the First Coast Spelling Bee on Friday, March 9. The bee, held at the Florida Theater, will be televised on Channel 4, The Local Station, and streamed on News4Jax.com.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Where are this year's top spellers in Northeast Florida?
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The winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to represent the First Coast at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The 2018 Spelling Bee finalists
ALACHUA COUNTY:
Sydney Miller | Gracie Peprah-Asante
BAKER COUNTY:
Dakota Conaway-Ellis
CLAY COUNTY:
Josiah Ilagan | Erik Williams
COLUMBIA COUNTY:
Ava Allen | Rosalie Speer
DUVAL COUNTY:
Catherine Nichols | Saachi Sharma
FLAGLER COUNTY:
Keelin Vera Cowart-Goldberg | Alisha Jageswar
HAMILTON COUNTY:
Gracie Tabor | Charles Wall II
MADISON COUNTY:
Erin Burnett | Riley Browning
NASSAU COUNTY:
Teddy Gurt | Ella Weepie
PUTNAM COUNTY:
Jayden Wicker
ST. JOHNS COUNTY:
Carly Miller | Jackson Willis
SUWANNEE COUNTY:
Isabella Baldwin | Taylar Smith
UNION COUNTY:
Aidan Newsom
Tap on the name above or scroll through the list below to read about the students who will compete:
Ava Allen
County: Columbia
School: Fort White High School
Grade: 8th
Age: 14
Hobbies: Chorus and Yearbook
Isabella Baldwin
County: Suwanee
School: Melody Christian Academy
Grade: 8th
Age: 12
Hobbies: Cheerleading
Riley Browning
County: Madison
School: Madison Creative Arts Academy
Grade: 7th
Age: 12
Hobbies: Drama Club, Theater and Reading
Erin Burnett
County: Madison
School: Madison Creative Arts Academy
Grade: 5th
Age: 10
Hobbies: Softball, Reading and Drawing
Dakota Conaway-Ellis
County: Baker
School: Baker County Middle School
Grade: 6th
Age: 12
Hobbies: Computer gaming and Blogging
Keelin Vera Cowart-Goldberg
County: Flagler
School: Buddy Taylor Middle
Grade: 8th
Age: 14
Hobbies: Drawing
Teddy Gurt
County: Nassau
School: Yulee Middle School
Grade: 6th
Age: 11
Hobbies: Yulee Middle School Morning News and Karate
Josiah Ilagan
County: Clay
School: Lakeside Junior High
Grade: 8th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Plays Trombone and Drums
Alisha Jageswar
County: Flagler
School: Buddy Taylor Middle School
Grade: 7th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Reading, drawing and listening to music
Carly Miller
County: St. Johns
School: Switzerland Point Middle School
Grade: 8th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Soccer and Basketball
Sydney Miller
County: Alachua
School: Oak Hall School
Grade: 7th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Cross Country, Basketball, Track, Band, FCA and Latin
Aidan Newsom
County: Union
School: Lake Butler Middle School
Grade: 8th
Age: 14
Hobbies: Football, Basketball, FFA Teams, Boating and Hunting
Catherine Nichols
County: Duval
School: St. Mark's Episcopal
Grade: 6th
Age: 12
Hobbies: Flute, Cello, Bass Guitar and Volleyball
Gracie Peprah-Asante
County: Alachua
School: Joseph Williams Elementary School
Grade: 5th
Age: 10
Hobbies: Math Club and Drawing
Saachi Sharma
County: Duval
School: Darnell Cookman School of Medical Arts
Grade: 8th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Reading and Swimming
Taylar Smith
County: Suwannee
School: Branford High School
Grade: 7th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Drawing and learning how to code
Rosalie Speer
County: Columbia
School: Fort White Elementary
Grade: 5th
Age: 10
Hobbies: Archery
Gracie Tabor
County: Hamilton
School: Hamilton Country Day
Grade: 6th
Age: 11
Hobbies: Drama Club and Dance
Kyle VanDoren
County: Bradford
School: Lawtey Elementary
Grade: 5th
Age: 11
Hobbies: Reading and Playing Video Games
Charles Wall II
County: Hamilton
School: Hamilton Elementary
Grade: 5th
Age: 10
Hobbies: Basketball
Ella Weepie
County: Nassau
School: Fernandina Beach Middle School
Grade: 8th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Volleyball, Theater and Drama
Jayden Wicker
County: Putnam
School: Q.I. Roberts Junior-Senior High
Grade: 7th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Basketball, Swimming and Running
Erik Williams
County: Clay
School: St. Johns Country Day
Grade: 5th
Age: 10
Hobbies: Baseball, Basketball, Chess Club, Mathcounts and Clarinet
Jackson Willis
County: St. Johns
School: Liberty Pines Academy
Grade: 8th
Age: 13
Hobbies: Tennis and Cross Country