FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2017
ATLANTA -- If someone asked you to spell "chaenomeles," "gemeinde," or "paternoster," would you know how, or know what they meant? Chances are your spell check wouldn’t know these either. Well get ready, because these and other “everyday” words will be gliding from the tongues of 20 of Georgia's finest spellers during the Georgia Association of Educators' (GAE) State Spelling Bee. Celebrating its 56th year, the Bee will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, March 17, 2017, at Georgia State University's Student Center's Senate Ballroom.
The following are the nine [GAE] districts’ and the Georgia Independent School Association's (GISA) winners (W) and runners-up (R):
| Bee District/System | Name | Grade, School | Age |
| 1 W / Fannin | Chloe Carter | 7 / Fannin County Middle | 13 |
| 1 R / Calhoun City | Brandon Webb | 6 / Calhoun Middle | 11 |
| 2 W / Cobb | Sophie Fang | 5/ Tritt Elementary | 10 |
| 2 R / Cobb | Jahnvi Bhagat | 8 /Daniell Middle | 13 |
| 3 W / Gwinnett | Aya Salma Haddad | 8 / Al Falah Academy | 13 |
| 3 R/ Gwinnett | Abhiram Kapaganty | 5 / Burnette Elementary | 11 |
| 4 W / DeKalb | Aditi Shankar | 7 / Druid Hills Middle | 12 |
| 4 R / Fulton | Matthew Spalding | 7 / Haynes Bridge Middle | 13 |
| 5 W / Newton | Jet Rawls | 8 / Indian Creek Middle | 13 |
| 5 R / Clayton | Thurman A. Blake Jr. | 8 / Eddie White Academy | 14 |
| 6 W / Thomaston/Upson | Krish Modi | 8 / Upson-Lee Middle | 14 |
| 6 R / Houston | Rebecca Kenny | 8 / Bonaire Middle | 13 |
| 7 W/ Laurens | Vaibhav Mishra | 7/ West Lauren Middle | 12 |
| 7 R / Twiggs | Aylah Birks | 8/ Twiggs County High/ Middle | 13 |
| 8 W / Chatham | Gio Christian Ramos | 5 / J.G. Smith Elementary | 10 |
| 8 R / Glynn | Griffin Lee | 6 / Glynn Middle | 12 |
| 9 W / Lowndes | Jon Liu | 7 / Hahira Middle School | 12 |
| 9 R / Thomas | Za’Miriya Sneed | 8 / Thomas County Middle | 14 |
| GISA- W / Fulton | Arul Selvakumar | 8 / Fulton Science Academy | 14 |
| GISA – R / Fulton | Charlie Gandy | 5/ Mt. Bethel Christian Academy | 11 |
The one student who emerges from this challenging contest will be crowned the Georgia Association of Educators' (GAE) State Spelling Bee champion and will represent the state in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., May 28 - June 3, 2017.
“After 56 years of spelling accomplishments by our young people, this never gets old,” said GAE President Dr. Sid Chapman. “The mix of new and returning participants truly makes this one of the great contests and highlights so far in these young people's lives. They, their parents, teachers and coaches all deserve a hand in regards to this achievement. And the same goes for all of the children at all of our schools that participated in this journey at every level. Our hope it that just taking part in the process has taught them something about sportsmanship and that oftentimes it’s just about enjoying the journey.”
GAE State Spelling Bee Committee Chairman Richard McIntyre also wants them to relax as much as possible and take in in the moment. “For 19 of these superb spellers, this will be the culmination of a journey begun over last summer. For one, it means a trip of a lifetime to the national championship. The dedication and perseverance all of them have shown to get to this point already makes them all champions."
The Bee, once again, will have the following accomplished and experienced panel of judges and callers:
Judges
- Mr. Barry Gray, Scholastic Chess Director, Unconditional Love for Children, Inc.
- Mr. Arthur George, Retired Educator, Fulton County Schools
- Ms. Cheryl Sarvis, Retired Principal, Atlanta City Schools
- Ms. Ernestine C. Mack, Retired, DeKalb District Attorney’s Office
Callers/Consultants
- The Reverend Greg Tallant, Rector, Holy Trinity Parish, Decatur, Georgia
- Professor Sara Cushing, Applied Linguistics, Georgia State University
GAE would like to thank the following businesses and organizations for their contributions: Encyclopedia Britannica (1-year online subscription), Merriam Webster, Inc.(Webster’s 3rd New International and Collegiate dictionaries), the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award ($100 Savings Bond), and Best Buy of Cumming, GA - Store # 1408 (Kindle). GAE will be providing trophies and $1,000 and $500 respectively for the winner and runner-up as well as paid expenses to the national for the winner. We again would like to thank the Horace Mann Insurance Companies who will provide an Ipad Mini for the winner and runner-up.
Parking can be found at the M Lot across the street from the center and at other lots in the vicinity. There is no flash photography during the bee. Additional instructions will be given prior to the beginning of the bee.