Congratulations to 8th grader Morgan Venneri, who is the Catskill Middle School Spelling Bee Champion for the second year in a row. A total of 22 top spellers from grades 6-8 competed in the 2025 spelling showdown, during which Morgan fended off a significant challenge from runner-up Layla Smith. The event took 61 rounds to decide, with 29 of those rounds being between Morgan and Layla. Ultimately, Morgan successfully spelled the word “flamboyant” to clinch the win. Along with being named our two-time Spelling Bee Champion, Morgan won a first-place trophy, an Amazon gift card, and a one-year subscription to Britannica Online.

All students who participated earned a certificate of participation and a medal. This year’s Spelling Bee participants were:

6th Graders:

Lyra Rosenblatt

Logan LoFrisco

Miles Williams

Kennedy Birk

Seva Shmelev

Tymel Harris

Sophia Pina

Oliver Fidecaro

7th Graders:

Jenessa James

Shivonne Duarte

Jonas Mercan

Kaelyn Hibbert

Sophia Hall

Yasmin Qaadir

Ariana Santiago

8th Graders:

Layla Smith

Morgan Venneri

Heaven Hodge

Sean Vasquez

Madeline Kelly

Jayden Gonzalez

Naomi Odendahl