Hello, students.

My name is Janice Allen, a 75-year resident of Las Vegas and a sponsor of the Vegas PBS Kids Writers Contest, presented by Janice Allen.

I want to congratulate all of you for making it this far in the spelling bee.

I remember many years ago participating in the spelling bee when I was your age, and I have some very fond memories.

Best of luck to all of you, and keep up the good work.

♪♪♪ Hi.

Welcome to the 20240-2025 Clark County School District Spelling Bee Finals.

It's an honor to be your host, Nathan Tannenbaum.

Let's talk about these students.

They have spelled their way through several levels of competition even before getting to this final.

Back in August, they competed in a written spelling bee and were named the Grade Level Champion at their middle school or junior high schools.

In September, they participated in another written bee, along with the best spellers from their grade level throughout the Clark County School District.

And then back in November, they were here at Vegas PBS, earning a spot as one of the seven top students from their grade level.

The final bee will take place in three separate bees: One for 8th grade, one for 7th grade, one for 6th grade.

Today, we will spell down until we have the first and second place spellers within each grade.

The top two spellers from today will be representing Clark County School District in the Nevada State Spelling Bee that will take place in March.

What do you say we give all of these young men and women a round of applause!

[applause] And we have three amazing judges today.

Representing the CCSD and the community, there's Xavier Antheaume, the Director of High School Athletics; Daniel Wise is an Assistant Principal at the Nevada Learning Academy at CCSD; and Amy Langhorst, the Magnet Coordinator at Clark High School.

Now let's meet these bright young students.

And we begin in the 8th grade, so let's get this spelling bee started with our first speller, Michaela from Becker Middle School.

Come on down, Michaela.

We have your first spelling word for today, and it is contort.

His face would contort when tasting something sour.

-Contort, C-O-N-T-O-R-T, contort.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you very much.

Have a seat.

We'll have you back for the next round.

And here comes Nicholas K. from Knudson Middle School.

Hi, Nicholas.

Your first spelling word today, helium.

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe.

-Helium, H-E-L-I-U-M, helium.

-Yes, sir.

Thank you, Nicholas.

That brings us to Ceilo from Swainston Middle School.

Come on down, Ceilo.

We've got a spelling word for you.

It is piracy.

The United States has the most visits to piracy websites.

-Piracy, P-I-R-A-C-Y, piracy.

-Yes.

Thank you, Ceilo.

Have a seat.

That brings us to Nicholas R. from Harney Middle School.

Hi, Nicholas.

Your first spelling word for today is adhere.

Paste is used to make one surface adhere to another.

-Adhere, A-D-H-E-R-E, adhere.

-Yes, sir.

And that brings us to Christian.

Hi, Christian.

Christian is from Greenspun Junior High School.

And here is your first spelling word.

Fragment.

In some cases, a fragment of broken tooth may be bonded back into place.

-Fragment, F-R-A-G-M-E-N-T, fragment.

-Yes.

You got it.

Have a seat, Christian.

We'll see you in Round Two.

That brings us to Savannah from Faiss Middle School.

Savannah, your first spelling word is drought.

The longest drought on record lasted 172 months down in Chile.

drought, D-R-O-U-G-H-T, drought.

-You got it.

Thank you.

And here is Caleb from Lyon Middle School.

Hi, Caleb.

Your first spelling word is sacred.

Certain animals are regarded as sacred.

-Sacred, S-A-C-R-E-D, sacred.

-That's right.

Have a seat.

That's Round One down.

Let's do our second round of spelling.

After this second round, we'll get into some vocabulary.

We're sticking with spelling words now.

We go back to Michaela.

Got another spelling word for you.

It is accuracy.

Remember to check your work to ensure its accuracy.

-Accuracy, A-C-C-U-R-A-C-Y, accuracy.

-Yes.

Thanks, Michaela.

Have a seat.

And it's time for Nicholas K. from Knudson.

Nicholas, your next spelling word is hideous.

The prize was given to the person who made the most hideous grimace.

-Hideous, H-I-D-E-O-U-S, hideous.

-That's correct.

Good job, Nicholas.

And here's Ceilo for her second spelling word.

It is scrounge.

It was nice not having to scrounge around for food.

-Scrounge, S-C-R-O-U-N-G-E, scrounge.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Ceilo.

Have a seat.

And we're up to Nicholas R. with your second spelling word.

Pinnacle.

Formula 1 is considered the pinnacle of car racing.

-Pinnacle, P-I-N-N-A-C-L-E, pinnacle.

-Yes.

Thanks, Nicholas.

Have a seat.

Let's go to Christian.

Come on down.

Christian, your next spelling word is inherent.

A love of music is inherent in human nature.

-Inherent, I-N-H-E-R-E-N-T, inherent.

-That's correct.

Thank you, Christian.

And Savannah, come on down for your second spelling word.

And it is legible.

You want to make sure your handwriting is clear and legible.

-Legible, L-E-G-I-B-L-E, legible.

-Yes, that's correct.

Thank you, Savannah.

And Caleb, your second spelling word.

It is fathom.

It is hard to fathom the true depths of the ocean.

-Fathom, F-A-T-H-O-M, fathom.

-Yes.

Okay.

So students, after two rounds of spelling, we're going to go on to a vocabulary round.

So again, I'll give you a word.

I'll have a sentence.

You don't have to spell the word.

I'll give you a couple of choices that describe the word.

So you can repeat the choice, or you can just say "A" or "B," whichever you believe is the correct response.

Michaela, are you ready for your first vocabulary word?

Come on down.

Your vocabulary word is ecstatic.

Someone who is ecstatic to see you is, A, overjoyed, or, B, disappointed?

-A.

-Yes, ma'am.

Have a seat.

That's your vocabulary word for this round.

Nicholas K., I got a vocabulary word for you.

It is rambunctious.

A group that is rambunctious is, A, tired, or, B, unruly?

-B.

-Yes, sir.

Thank you, Nicholas.

And Ceilo, here's your vocabulary word.

It is faux.

If an item is faux, it is, A, new, or, B, an imitation?

-A.

-That's incorrect.

Faux does mean imitation.

Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens.

Thank you, Ceilo.

And next up is Nicholas R. Hi, Nicholas.

Your vocabulary word is perfunctory.

A synonym for perfunctory is, A, superficial, or, B, astonishing?

-B.

-And that's incorrect.

Superficial is the synonym there.

Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens.

Thank you, Nicholas.

We move on to Christian.

I've got a vocabulary word for you, and it is diverge.

A synonym for diverge is, A, eat, or, B, separate?

-B.

-And that is correct.

Thank you, Christian.

Have a seat.

We move on to Savannah for your vocabulary word, and it is berserk.

A person who goes berserk, A, acts crazily and violently, or, B, makes a brief visit with someone.

-A.

-Yes.

Thank you, Savannah.

And Caleb, I've got your vocabulary word.

It's innuendo.

An innuendo means, A, covert allusion to something not directly named, or, B, proneness to anger?

-A.

-Yes, sir.

Thank you, Caleb.

Okay.

So we have done two rounds of spelling, one round of vocabulary.

Judges, I believe we're moving back to spelling.

And we have five spellers here, so we're working to get down to our top two 8th grade spellers.

And our first speller back at the microphone will be Michaela.

Come on up, Michaela.

Your next spelling word is visceral.

She had a visceral dislike of tomatoes.

-Visceral, V-I-S-C-E-R-A-L, visceral.

-And that is correct.

Thank you, Michaela.

And let's go to Nicholas K. Nicholas, your next spelling word is intricate.

The intricate lines of a zebra's stripes are really an eye catcher.

-Intricate, I-N-T-R-I-C-A-T-E, intricate.

-Yes.

Good job, Nicholas.

Have a seat.

Christian, you have another spelling word.

It's taciturn.

He talked very little and seemed all the more mysterious for his taciturn manner.

-Can I have the definition please?

-Sure.

Taciturn, habitually silent; temperamentally disinclined or reluctant to talk or converse.

Taciturn, T-A-S-S-E-T-U-R-N, taciturn.

-And that's incorrect.

Christian, hang on.

Let me tell you.

Taciturn is one of those.

It's got a C instead of an S. T-A-C-I-T-U-R-N. Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens.

Thank you.

And let's go to Savannah.

I've got a spelling word for you.

It is wretched.

The house was in a wretched state.

-Wretched, W-R-E-T-C-H-E-D, wretched.

-That's correct.

Thank you.

Caleb, got another spelling word for you, and it is discreetly.

He discreetly packed his snack in the bag.

-Discreetly, D-I-S-C-R-E-E-T-L-Y, discreetly.

-Yes.

All right, let's keep going.

We have four spellers now for our next spelling round.

Michaela, we have a spelling word for you, and it is acquiesced.

Until recently, Scott acquiesced in most situations involving conflict.

-Acquiesced, A-C-Q-U-I-E-S-C-E-S-E-D. -And you added some extra letters there.

You were fine until you got to the end.

So acquiesced is as you said, A-C-Q-U-I-E-S-C. And then it just ends with E-D. You added a couple of letters in there.

Michaela, have a seat.

We'll see what happens here.

Thank you.

Nicholas K., got a spelling word for you.

It is meteor.

Approximately 30 meteor showers occur every year to observers on Earth.

-Meteor, M-E-T-E-O-R, meteor.

-Yes.

Have a seat.

And that takes us to Savannah.

Got another spelling word for you, and it is optimum.

Be sure to follow the recipe for optimum results.

Optimum, O-P-T-I-M-U-M, optimum.

-Yes, ma'am.

Have a seat.

And we're back to Caleb.

So Caleb, your next spelling word here is requiem.

He learned Mozart's "Requiem" so he could perform it at the event.

Requiem, R-E-C-Q-U-I-M, requiem.

-And that's incorrect, Caleb.

Requiem is R-E-Q-U-I-E-M. Have a seat, and we'll see what happens here.

So we have come down to our top two spellers, but we thought you might want to take a moment to go back and see how did they get here to the finals.

♪♪♪ -Next up is Savannah from Faiss Middle School.

Hi, Savannah.

Your first spelling word today is epic.

The Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventures, the most epic roller coaster.

-Epic, E-P-I-C, epic.

-You got it.

Thanks, Savannah.

Nicholas.

We got two Nicholases.

I got confused for a second.

Hi, Nicholas.

Nicholas K. from Knudson Middle School.

All right, Nicholas, your first spelling word is flounder.

It wasn't like him to flounder over small decisions.

-Flounder, F-L-O-U-N-D-E-R, flounder.

-Yes.

Thanks, Nicholas.

Savannah, your next spelling word is bogus.

They'll follow up on the student's story, even though we all know it's bogus.

-Bogus, B-O-G-U-S, bogus.

-Yes.

Thank you, Savannah.

Nicholas, your next spelling word is resonate.

The central themes resonate through a network of related stories and characters.

-Resonate, R-E-S-O-N-A-T-E, resonate.

-Yes.

Thank you.

Savannah, come on down.

Got another spelling word for you.

It is requirement.

It's a requirement to get a passing grade to participate in sports.

-Requirement, R-E-Q-U-I-R-E-M-E-N-T, requirement.

-Yep.

Thank you.

Now Nicholas K. Your next spelling word is hoist.

Manuel decided to use a crane to hoist the stone.

-Hoist, H-O-I-S-T, hoist.

-Yes.

Thank you.

Okay, so we have six of our top seven 8th grade spellers right here.

[applause] So, Nicholas, this will be you.

We got another spelling word for you.

So you guys are both going to the State Spelling Bee Finals, but we got to find out who's first place and who's second place.

Nicholas, your next spelling word is anticipatory.

Exercise helps improve balance, coordination, and anticipatory reflexes.

-Anticipatory, A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-O-R-Y, anticipatory.

-That is correct.

Have a seat.

And Savannah, come on down for your next word.

And the word is viscount.

The viscount appeared in court after being summoned by the king.

-Viscount, V-I-C-O-U-N-T, viscount.

-And that's incorrect.

It's a tricky word, Savannah.

They stuck an S in there.

Viscount is actually V-I-S-C-O-U-N-T.

But you are the second place 8th grade speller.

You're going to the State Spelling Bee Final.

And Nicholas K. is our first place 8th grade speller.

There's our top two spellers.

Let's give these students a round of applause.

[applause] ♪♪♪ -And now we move on to the 7th grade spelling bee.

We begin with Zack from Lied Middle School.

Zack, come on down.

We got your first spelling word today.

It is fragile.

The effects on the fragile desert ecosystem are still being felt today.

-Fragile, F-R-A-G-I-L-E, fragile.

-Yes.

Great job, Zack.

Have a seat.

We'll see you in Round Two.

Now we bring up Lila.

She's from Gunderson Middle School.

Hi, Lila.

Here's your first spelling word.

It is symbol.

The clouds were a symbol of uncertainty.

-Symbol, S-Y-M-B-O-L, symbol.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Lila.

We'll see in Round Two.

Let's bring up Connor.

He's from Garside.

Hi, Connor.

Your first spelling word, percent.

In 1948 only 1% of US households had a TV.

-Percent, P-E-R-C-E-N-T, percent.

-Yes.

Thanks, Connor.

Have a seat.

We bring up Elvina.

She's from Hyde Park Middle School.

Hi, Elvina.

Your first spelling word today, accident.

The driver left the scene of the accident before a statement was given.

-Accident, A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T, accident.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Elvina.

Let's move on to Noah.

Come on down, Noah, from Brown Junior High School.

Noah, your first spelling word today, mutate.

Simple organisms like bacteria mutate rapidly.

-Mutate, M-U-T-A-T-E, mutate.

-Yes, sir.

Thanks, Noah.

We'll see you in Round Two.

And that brings us to Kiana from Mannion Middle School.

Hi, Kiana.

Got your first spelling word for today, and it is radius.

They deliver to within a five-mile radius of the store.

-Radius, R-A-D-I-U-S, radius.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

And here's Elijah.

He's from Canarelli Middle School.

Hi, Elijah.

Got your first spelling word.

It is digit.

Each digit is formed by several bones called phalanges.

-Digit, D-I-G-I-T, digit.

-Yes, sir.

Have a seat.

That's the end of Round One.

So we move immediately to Round Two, and we're back to Zack from Lied.

Come on down, Zack.

Your second spelling word is bachelor.

The Crown Prince was Japan's most eligible bachelor.

-Bachelor, B-A-C-H-E-L-O-R, bachelor.

-That's right.

Thank you, Zack.

And back to Lila.

Lila, here's your second spelling word.

Tentative.

The couple made tentative plans to meet with the realtor.

Tentative, T-E-N-T-A-T-I-V-E, tentative.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

And Connor, come on down for your second spelling word.

Queasy.

My stomach felt queasy before the spelling bee.

-Queasy, Q-U-E-A-S-Y, queasy.

-Yes.

Thank you, Connor.

And Elvina, got another spelling word for you.

It is accordance.

The preservation of wild animals and birds, in accordance with international agreements, is enforced by law.

-Accordance, A-C-C-O-R-D-A-N-C-E, accordance.

-That's right.

Thanks, Elvina.

Have a seat.

See ya for some vocabulary.

For now, we're sticking with spelling because we're continuing with Noah.

Got another spelling word for you, Noah.

And it is vacancy.

Is there any vacancy at the hotel?

-Vacancy, V-A-C-A-N-C-Y, vacancy.

-Yes.

Thanks, Noah.

Have a seat.

And here's Kiana for her second spelling word.

And your word is outrageous.

The iconic image became a representation of outrageous taste and style.

-Outrageous, O-U-T-R-A-G-E-O-U-S, outrageous.

-Yes.

Thanks, Kiana.

And here's Elijah.

Ready for your second spelling word.

It's janitor.

The teacher praised the janitor in the weekly assembly.

-Janitor, J-A-N-I-T-O-R. -You have to say the word again.

-Oh, janitor.

-Yep.

Thank you, Elijah.

You are correct.

Okay.

So students, we have done two rounds of spelling.

We still have seven spellers up there.

We move on to vocabulary.

So remember, in vocabulary, you're not spelling any word.

I will say a word, I will read a sentence and give you two choices to consider about that word and about the sentence.

And you can either repeat what I said for the words, or you can just say "A" or "B," whichever you believe is correct.

Okay, ready?

Let's bring back Zack for your first vocabulary word.

And it is clatter.

To cause clatter is to, A, cause commotion, or, B, cause heartbreak?

-A.

-Yes.

Thank you, Zack.

Have a seat.

It's vocabulary time for Lila.

And Lila, your vocabulary word is antsy.

If you feel antsy, you are, A, restless, or, B, excited?

-A.

-Yes, ma'am.

Have a seat.

Good job.

Got a vocabulary word now for Connor.

Hi, Connor.

Your vocabulary word, salivate.

If you were to salivate, you would, A, applaud, or, B, drool?

-B, drool.

-Yes, sir.

Have a seat, Connor.

Elvina, come on down.

We've got a vocabulary word for you.

And it is domicile.

A domicile is, A, a place of residence, or, B, someone who sings?

-A -That is correct.

Thank you, Elvina.

And we're back to Noah.

Noah, we have a vocabulary word for you, and it is blaspheme.

When we blaspheme, we, A, shorten in length, or, B, speak irreverently about something sacred?

-B.

-Yes.

Thank you, Noah.

Have a seat.

-Here's Kiana.

Hi, Kiana.

Got a word for you.

It is vicinity.

If your friend is in the vicinity, they are, A, nearby, or, B, excluded?

-A.

-You got it.

Okay, let's do Elijah.

Got a vocabulary word for you.

It is pretentious.

Someone who is pretentious attempts to, A, impress by affecting greater importance, or, B, win every argument?

-A.

-Yes.

Okay, so we have completed a round of vocabulary.

We're back to spelling.

We may or may not come back to vocabulary.

For now, we're for sure moving back to spelling.

All right, Zack.

Come on down.

Got another spelling word for you, and it is condiment.

Mayonnaise is the top-selling condiment in America.

-Condiment, C-O-N-D-I-M-E-N-T, condiment.

-Yes.

Thank you, Zack.

Have a seat.

Lila, time for another spelling word for you, and it is gimmick.

They gave away free gifts with children's meals as a marketing gimmick.

-Gimmick, G-I-M-M-I-C-K, gimmick.

-Yes.

Thank you, Lila.

Connor, got another spelling word for you, and it is noticeable.

There's been a noticeable improvement in his handwriting.

-Noticeable, N-O-T-I-C-A-B-L-E, noticeable.

-And Connor, you left out an E. Noticeable is N-O-T-I-C-E and then A-B-L-E. Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens next.

Can't say for sure, but have a seat over there for now.

And that brings us to Elvina.

Got another spelling word for you, Elvina.

And it is litigious.

The move was prompted by concern that students were becoming more litigious.

Litigious, L-I-T-I-G-I-O-U-S, litigious.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Elvina.

Noah, got another spelling word for you.

It is vignette.

A vignette focuses on vividly capturing a scene in a character's experience.

-Vignette, V-I-G-N-E-T-T-E, vignette.

-You got it.

Thank you, Noah.

Kiana, got a spelling word for you.

It is usurious or usurious.

He faces usurious debts from a hasty expansion of his business.

-Usurious, U-S-U-I-S-U-R-I-O-U-S, usurious.

-Yep.

Have a seat over there with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens.

We're not sure yet, but, Kiana, thank you.

Let's move on to Elijah.

We have a spelling word for you.

And it is ignominious.

He was forced to resign in the most ignominious of circumstances.

-Ignominious, I-G-N-O-M-I-N-U-S, ignominious.

-And that's incorrect, Elijah.

There's a lot going on in that word.

I-G-N-O-M-I-N-I-O-U-S. Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens.

Thank you.

Okay, Zack, we have another spelling word for you.

And it is forsythia.

The forsythia plant is related to the olive tree.

-May I have the language of origin?

-Yes.

That is New Latin.

-Can you repeat the word and the sentence, please?

-You bet.

Forsythia.

The forsythia plant is related to the olive tree.

-Forsythia, F-O-R-C-I-T-H-I-A, forsythia.

-There's an S instead of a C there.

F-O-R-S-Y-T-H-I-A.

Zack, thank you.

We'll see what happens as we move on to Lila.

Come on up for another spelling word, Lila.

Your spelling word is audacious.

It was audacious to take such action.

-Audacious, A-D-A-C-I-O-U-S, audacious.

-That was so close, Lila.

It's A-U-D-A-C-I-O-U-S. Have a seat with Ms. Stoneyz.

Let's see what happens here as we continue.

Elvina, we have a spelling word for you.

And it is hallucinate.

People can hallucinate with all five senses.

-Hallucinate, H-A-L-L-U-C-I-N-A-T-E, hallucinate.

-That is correct.

Have a seat.

Noah, come on down.

We got a spelling word for you.

And it is vulpine.

Megan gave a vulpine smile when performing the magic trick.

-Word origin, please?

-It's Latin.

-Okay.

-Vulpine.

-Vulpine, V-U-L-P-I-N-E, vulpine.

-That is correct.

Ladies and gentlemen, the top two 7th grade spellers in the Clark County School District.

[applause] -However, we still need to spell down to the first place and second place 7th grade spellers.

But we thought you might want to take a moment to go back and see how did they get here to the finals.

♪♪♪ -And here comes Elvina from Hyde Park Middle School.

Hi, Elvina.

Here is your first spelling word.

It's epic.

The Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure is an epic roller coaster.

-Epic, E-P-I-C, epic.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thanks, Elvina.

That brings us to Noah.

Come on down, Noah.

Noah, your first spelling word is shield.

She wore glasses to shield the sun from her eyes.

-Shield, S-H-I-E-L-D, shield.

-Yes.

Thanks, Noah.

Good job.

Elvina.

Your next spelling word, bogus.

They're gonna follow up on the student's story, even though everybody knows it's bogus.

-Bogus, B-O-G-U-S, bogus.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thanks, Elvina.

Noah, your word is barrage.

The theater resounds with a barrage of applause.

-Barrage, B-A-R-R-A-G-E, barrage.

-You got it.

Thanks, Noah.

All right, Elvina.

Your vocabulary word is accomplice.

You are an accomplice if you, A, are associated with another in wrongdoing, or, B, are capable of being conquered?

-A.

-And that is correct.

Thank you, Elvina.

And your vocabulary word is emitting.

So another word for emitting is, A, expressing, or, B, flicking.

-A.

-Yes.

Thanks, Noah.

Good job.

We have four of our top seven 7th grade spellers.

You four are moving on to the final.

Give a round of applause to these four students.

[applause] -The bottom line is, both of you are going to the Nevada State Spelling Bee, but we're going to keep this party going, because we do need a first place and a second place speller.

So Elvina, come on up.

We have another spelling word for you.

And it is schwa.

The schwa is the most common vowel sound in English, even though it's not represented in writing.

Schwa, S-H-W-A, schwa.

-And that's incorrect, but go ahead and have a seat in your regular seat there.

We'll see what happens with our friend Noah here.

Come on down, Noah.

Your next spelling word, Noah, is mahogany.

A mahogany tree is slow growing and can survive 350 years.

-Mahogany, M-A-H-O-G-A-N-Y, mahogany.

All right, Noah is the top 7th grade speller in the 7th grade in the school district.

Elvina, you're second place.

You're both going to the Nevada State Spelling Bee.

A round of applause for our top two 7th grade spellers.

[applause] ♪♪♪ -And now it is time for the 6th grade spelling bee, and let's get this party started.

Our first speller today is Damian.

He's from Johnson Junior High.

Damian, come on down to the microphone.

Here is your first spelling word.

It is auction.

The oldest auction house was founded in 1674.

-Auction, A-U-C-T-I-O-N, auction.

-Just like that.

Thank you, Damian.

Have a seat.

And we bring up Anandita from Miller Middle School.

Hi, Anandita.

Your first spelling word is immediate.

She spent the holidays with her immediate family.

-Immediate, I-M-M-E-D-I-A-T-E, immediate.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Anandita.

Have a seat.

And our next speller is Sokretputhy from Fremont Middle School.

Hi, Sokretputhy.

Your first spelling word today is glacier.

The world's largest glacier is the Lambert Glacier.

-Glacier, G-L-A-C-I-E-R, glacier.

-Yes.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

That brings us to Emelie from Brown Junior High School.

All right, Emelie.

Your first spelling word today, developer.

The developer worked with the city to plan the project.

-Developer, D-E-V-E-L-O-P-E-R. -And say-- -Developer.

-Very good.

Thank you.

Students, just remember, say the word, spell the word, and say the word.

That way we know you're done.

You're good, Emelie.

Thank you so much.

We move on to Eliana.

Come on down, Eliana from Escobedo Middle School.

Here's your first spelling word, abridge.

The publisher chose to abridge the book.

-Abridge, A-B-R-I-D-G-E, abridge.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

Eliana, have a seat.

Here comes Ethan for your first spelling word.

Ethan's from Canarelli Middle School.

And your first spelling word is clarinet.

The clarinet is a member of the woodwind family.

-Clarinet, C-L-A-R-I-N-E-T, clarinet.

-Yes, sir.

Thanks, Ethan.

We'll see you in Round Two.

This brings us to JiYun from Faiss Middle School.

Hi, JiYun.

Here's your first spelling word, heave.

The cowboy has to heave the hay into the back of the truck.

-Heave, H-E-A-V-E, heave.

-Yes, ma'am.

Have a seat.

That is Round One.

We move immediately to Round Two, which brings us back to Damian.

Come back up to the microphone for your second spelling word today.

It is zealous.

He was a zealous worker for charitable concerns.

-Can I have the definition?

-Sure.

Zealous: Filled with or characterized by zeal; warmly engaged, especially on behalf of something.

Zealous.

-Zealous, Z-E-I-L-O-U-S, zealous.

-And, Damian, that's incorrect.

Zealous is Z-E-A-L-O-U-S. Have a seat over there with Ms. Stonex.

I'm not sure if you're completely eliminated.

We'll find out.

But have a seat for now, Damian.

Thank you so much.

Here's Anandita for your next spelling word.

And it is rubbish.

She described the book as absolute rubbish.

-Rubbish, R-U-B-B-I-S-H, rubbish.

-Yes.

Thank you, Anandita.

Next up, Sokretputhy.

We got another spelling word for you, and it is piston.

A steam engine is another type of piston engine.

-Piston, P-I-S-T-O-N, piston.

-That's right.

Thanks, Sokretputhy.

Have a seat.

We come now to Emelie for your second spelling word, and it is justification.

There is no justification for treating people badly.

-Justification, J-U-S-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N, justification.

-Yes, ma'am.

Thanks, Emelie.

Have a seat.

Eliana, got another spelling word for you.

Come on down.

It is versatile.

She had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.

-Versatile, V-E-R-S-A-L-- wait, no.

Can I restart?

Can I restart?

-Unfortunately, you have to say the same letters in the same order that you just did.

-V-E-R-S-A-- I know how to spell it.

I just said it wrong.

L, I guess.

I just said it wrong.

I-L-E.

I said it wrong.

-Oh, that's okay.

Eliana, go have a seat.

You're incorrect.

Versatile is V-E-R-S-A-T-I-L-E. We don't know if you're in or out, but we'll find out in just a second.

Thank you, Eliana.

Our next speller is going to be Ethan.

Come on down, Ethan.

Your next spelling word is nocturnal.

The aardvark is a nocturnal mammal.

-Nocturnal, N-O-C-T-U-R-N-A-L, nocturnal.

-Yes.

Thanks, Ethan.

Have a seat.

JiYun, got a spelling word for you, your next one.

And it is disagreement.

My instructor and I had a brief disagreement.

-Disagreement, D-I-S-A-G-R-E-E-M-E-N-T, disagreement.

-Yes, ma'am.

And like JiYun just did, if you feel like you have to pause, that is perfectly fine.

If you need to stop and think, we don't mind.

We don't want to be here an hour, but that's fine if you need to pause.

Okay.

So we have five spellers remaining after two rounds of spelling.

Judges, I think it's time to move on to some vocabulary.

So you guys stay right where you are, and we will start with Anandita.

Come on up.

So remember, we're not spelling any words in this round.

I'm going to give you a word, and I'll say a sentence, and I'll give you two possible choices of what may be correct in describing that word.

It's probably easier if you just say "A" or "B" for your response, but you can repeat the words or the sentence if you so choose, but it's probably easier to just do "A" or "B."

So let's go.

Anandita, here's your first vocabulary word.

It's hover.

What does it mean to hover?

Is it, A, to follow what everyone is doing, or, B, to remain suspended over a place?

-B.

-And that is correct.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

For vocabulary, we move on to Sokretputhy for your first vocabulary word.

And it is limelight.

Limelight means to, A, spotlight, or, B, appreciate.

-A.

-And that is correct.

Have a seat, Sokretputhy.

We'll see you for another spelling word here in a second.

For vocabulary, Emelie, we have your vocabulary word.

It is flimsy.

A flimsy couch will, A, break easily, or, B, last a lifetime?

-A.

-That is correct.

Emelie, have a seat.

Thank you.

Next up for vocabulary, we go to Ethan.

Ethan, here is your vocabulary word, and it is dappled.

A giraffe is-- if a giraffe is dappled, it is, A, marked with spots, or, B, learning to walk?

-A.

-That is correct.

Thank you, Ethan.

Have a seat.

JiYun, we have a vocabulary word for you.

And it is usher.

An usher's job is to, A, take your garbage, or, B, escort you to your seat.

-B.

-Yes, ma'am.

That is correct.

Okay, so that's one round of vocabulary.

Judges, I think we're going back to spelling, and we'll see where we go from here.

Whether we go back to vocabulary or not.

We're for sure continuing with spelling.

And I believe we're on Word Number 15?

Okeydoke.

So Anandita, that's you.

Come on up for your next spelling word.

So this is back to spelling.

Your word is rescind.

After deciding in favor of the defendant, the judge did rescind his order.

-Rescind, R-E-S-C-I-N-D, rescind.

-That's right.

Thank you, Anandita.

Have a seat.

Sokretputhy, we have a spelling word for you, and it is tenement.

A complete tenement block burned to the ground.

-Tenement, T-E-N-A-M-E-N-T, tenement.

-Sokretputhy, that's incorrect.

All the vowels in the word tenement are Es.

So it's T-E-N-E-M-E-N-T. Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens.

Don't know if you're out for sure, but have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

Thank you.

Emelie, we have another spelling word for you.

Come on over.

And your spelling word is peripheral.

The nerves in the skin are part of the peripheral nervous system.

-Peripheral, P-E-R-I-P-H-E-R-E-L. -And that's incorrect, Emelie.

Peripheral is P-E-R-I-P-H-E-R-A-L. Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

Not for sure if you're out for sure, but let's have you over there for now.

Ethan, we have a spelling word for you, and it is linguistics.

Linguistics is the study of language.

-Linguistics, L-I-N-G-U-I-S-T-I-C-S, linguistics.

-Yes.

Have a seat, Ethan.

Next up for another spelling word, JiYun.

Come on down.

JiYun, your next word is laureate.

Rita Dove was the first African American woman appointed to the position of poet laureate.

-Laureate, L-O-R-E-A-N-T, laureate.

-And that's incorrect.

Laureate is L-A-U-R-E-A-T-E. Have a seat with Ms. Stonex.

We'll see what happens.

But I thought you might want to take a moment to go back and see how did they get here to the finals.

♪♪♪ -All right, Ethan.

Your first spelling word, museum.

The Louvre in Paris is the world's largest museum.

-Museum, M-U-S-E-U-M, museum.

-Yes.

Thanks, Ethan.

Have a seat.

Let's go to Anandita.

Anandita, your first spelling word, compare.

The students had to compare and contrast the stories.

-Compare, C-O-M-P-A-R-E, compare.

-Yes.

Thanks, Anandita.

Here comes Ethan.

Come on down, Ethan.

Your next spelling word is forfeit.

If you don't do so, you'll forfeit your chance at a prize.

Forfeit, F-O-R-F-E-I-T, forfeit.

-Yes.

Thanks, Ethan.

Let's say hello to Anandita.

Anandita, your next word, ludicrous.

The student's statement, absolutely ludicrous.

-Ludicrous, L-U-D-I-C-R-O-U-S, ludicrous.

-Yes.

Thank you, Anandita.

Have a seat.

Anandita, a vocabulary word for you.

And that word is teeter.

If you were to teeter, you'd either, A, go on vacation, or, B, move unsteadily.

-B.

-That's correct.

Thank you.

Ethan, come on down.

We've got a spelling word for you.

It is hoist.

Manuel decided to use a crane to hoist the stone.

-Hoist, H-O-I-S-T, hoist.

-Yes, sir.

Thank you, Ethan.

We have five of our top seven 6th grade spellers.

Let's give a round of applause to these five students.

[applause] -I believe we have gotten the top two spellers in the 6th grade in the Clark County School District.

Give these young people a round of applause.

[applause] -However, I don't know if you were listening closely, but we do need to spell down to our first place 6th grade speller and our second place 6th grade speller.

So we're going to keep spelling with you guys.

Okay?

So Anandita, we have another spelling word for you.

Come on up to the microphone.

And your next spelling word is recipient.

She was not the intended recipient of the reward.

-Recipient, R-E-C-E-P-I-E-N-T, recipient.

-And that's incorrect, Anandita, but you're going to the Nevada State Spelling Bee Championship.

That's for sure.

Stay right where you are.

We'll see what Ethan does.

Let me spell recipient for you.

R-E-C-I-P-I-E-N-T, recipient.

But let's see what happens, because, Ethan, we have a spelling word for you.

And it is fiefdom.

The manager's fiefdom consists of two departments in the company newsletter.

-Fiefdom, F-E-E-F-D-O-M, fiefdom.

-And that's incorrect.

Fiefdom is F-I-E-F-D-O-M.

It's one of those strange ones.

So here's the deal: We still don't have a first place and a second place finisher in the 6th grade.

So Ms. Stonex, we just keep going, right?

Yeah.

So you're-- let's give it another try here, Anandita.

I got another spelling word.

Come on up to the microphone.

Your next spelling word is accentuate.

My bow tie does, in fact, accentuate my outfit.

-Accentuate, A-C-C-E-N-T-U-A-T-E, accentuate.

-That's correct.

Have a seat.

Let's see what Ethan does with his next word.

And it is labyrinth.

We were excited to explore the labyrinth that had been created.

-Labyrinth, L-A-B-Y-R-I-N-T-H, labyrinth.

-Yes.

So that just means we keep going.

Another spelling word for you, Anandita.

Come on up.

Here it is.

Quarreling.

The sisters were always quarreling over clothing.

-Can I have the definition?

-Yes.

Quarreling: To contend or dispute actively; to clash.

Quarreling.

-Quarreling, Q-U-A-R-R-E-L-I-N-G, quarreling.

-No quarreling here.

That's right, Anandita.

Ethan, here's your next spelling word.

It is unenforceable.

The rules were unenforceable until they could get organized.

-Unenforceable, U-N-I-N-F-O-R-C-A-B-L-E, unenforceable.

-So that's incorrect, Ethan.

Let me spell that.

Unenforceable is U-N-E-N-F-O-R-C-E-A-B-L-E.

So Ethan, that makes you the second place top 6th grade speller in the Clark County School District.

And Anandita is our first place 6th grade speller in the Clark County School District.

[applause] -How about that?

Congratulations to our 6th grade spellers, and congratulations to you.

Thank you so much for tuning in to the 2024-2025 Clark County School District Spelling Bee Finals.

Good luck to these spellers in the Nevada State Spelling Bee.

And we hope to see you next year for the Spelling Bee on Vegas PBS.

♪♪♪