Annabelle Day ready for her return to the national spelling bee

BOARDMAN — Two-time Vindicator Regional Spelling Bee champion Annabelle Day is ready to match her spelling prowess against the best in the country.

Annabelle, 13, of Boardman, who just completed eighth grade at Willow Creek Learning Center, competes this week in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

She became Vindicator Bee champion in March for the second consecutive year.

She’ll face 284 spellers from across the U.S., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Canada, China, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea and Department of Defense Schools in Europe.

This is Annabelle’s second appearance at the national event, near Washington, D.C. Last year, her score on the written test in the preliminary bee rounds failed to earn her a spot in the semifinals.

It wasn’t spelling but definitions that tripped her up.

She hopes this year will be different.

For the complete story, read Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com