ORWIGSBURG — The final round of the 61st annual Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday was back and forth between two seventh-graders from Pottsville Area School District. Each had the opportunity to spell a winning word on a couple occasions, but ultimately Jake Montgomery, 12, won the competition with the word “liberalism.”
“I was surprised and I’m nervous for Washington,” Montgomery said shortly after winning.
Montgomery outspelled 46 other students in grades five through eight from 15 schools in the county in the event presented by The Republican-Herald at the Blue Mountain High School auditorium. All participants won spelling competitions in their schools.
Jake is the son of Kevin and Beth Montgomery, Pottsville.
“Unbelievable,” Beth said.
Kevin was holding his son’s trophy while people were taking plenty of pictures of the winner.
“We are going to have to build more shelves (for the trophy),” Kevin said.
Jake also has many bowling trophies, his father said.
Montgomery is the first winner from Pottsville Area since Alanna Durkin in 2004. Her mother, Karen, coached the students from the school this year.
“I’m so thrilled to have a winner go to Washington, D.C. because all the students worked so hard for this,” Durkin said.
Montgomery was one of six competitors, plus an alternate, from Pottsville Area this year. It was his third year in the competition.
Samuel Ulrich, 12, a seventh-grader at Pottsville Area, placed second and Connor Stasulli, 12, a sixth-grader at Shenandoah Valley, placed third.
Last year’s winner, Navaeh Lopez, now 13 years old and in seventh grade, was also in the competition and offered some advice to Montgomery.
“She said don’t be overconfident but don’t second guess yourself either,” Montgomery said.
As the winner, Montgomery receives an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., courtesy of The Republican-Herald, to participate in the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee, which begins May 25. He also won a fire truck parade arranged by the county commissioners, a Websters Dictionary, a Valeries supplement compliments of Hexco Academic, a Kindle Fire 10 Tablet from Sadowski Orthodontics and $100 from J. Bertolet Volkswagen.
For additional information about the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, visit www.spellingbee.com.