Spellbound at the Longest Bee

After 40 intense rounds and an exciting final duel, wordslinger Kano captured this year’s MST Spelling Bee title in front of a cheering crowd of Sunshine and Lower Elementary students.

The competition grew more intense with each passing round, eventually leading to an unforgettable championship battle between Willow wordsmiths Kano and Kaya. The two finalists went head-to-head for 11 rounds, demonstrating impressive focus and resilience under pressure. Otto (Maple) also delivered a strong performance, competing through 12 challenging rounds with the older spellers.

In the end, Kano secured the championship in the longest school spelling bee with the winning word: “camouflaged.” The victory marked an impressive achievement after appearing in her fourth bee, including a second-place finish in 2024. 

Kaya earned an excellent second-place finish after a remarkable performance throughout the competition. “I felt bad for Kaya,” recalls Kano, “because she had a tough, weird word. It didn’t feel fair. It reminded me of when I also had a tricky word against Aska (in 2024) and how I felt then.”

Students in the audience followed every word closely, reacting with quiet gasps, excitement, and admiration as competitors tackled increasingly difficult spellings. One of the most memorable aspects of the event was the strong sense of encouragement among the participants themselves. Whenever a student successfully spelled a particularly tricky word, fellow competitors responded with happy, respectful cheers.

The event highlighted not only academic excellence, but also perseverance, sportsmanship, and community support; and in the case of our champion, a bittersweet victory from a hard fought years-long journey deepening empathy along the way.

Wind Edward Kim and Elizabeth Ogiyama