“M-A-R-O-C-A-I-N, marocain.” This was the word that cemented the victory for Ananya Vinay in the 2017 National Scripps Spelling Bee, earning her $40,000. While the winner of the upcoming Cleveland Spelling Bee won’t be taking home that kind of money, they will certainly be feeling a similar amount of glory.

The road to the national competition begins Feb. 6 when Cleveland students will be able to show their aptitude for spelling. The school contest runs from 2:30 to 5 p.m. in the auditorium, said McKenna Miller, Cleveland’s speech pathologist who is in charge of the competition.

Miller said the words in the spelling bee are picked by the talented and gifted department for high school levels, a program that she oversees. Students can find online spelling lists to prepare, and they can get motivated by watching some of the movies centered on this event, such as “Akeelah and the Bee.”

“I’m definitely going to be getting some sort of sweet old-school trophy for the prize. I was thinking about getting a local business to donate a prize as well,” said Miller.

The winner of Cleveland’s spelling bee moves on to the PPS district competition, and the winner moves on to the spring’s state final, which will be shown on television.

If you or anyone you know is interested in this event, make sure to show up to the SSC and ask for Miller, who will sign you up for the event. With enough luck, we could be seeing one of our very own Cleveland students on the TV screen as the winner of the next state Spelling Bee.