Wes Kenlon, a fifth-grade student at Jeremy Ranch Elementary School, didn’t expect to win the third annual Park Record Regional Spelling Bee this year — especially not with his older sister, Sasha, the two-time champion, in the competition.  But by the end of the night, that’s exactly wha t he had done.  The Kenlons were among around 20 other spellers at the third annual Park Record Regional Spelling Bee on Wednesday at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium. The room was abuzz with energy and excitement as spellers from across the Wasatch Back in second through eighth grades were vying for the title of champion and the chance to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this May. Wes, 10, was one of five elementary school students to advance from the Park Record Junior Spelling Bee on Tuesday night. The competition was fierce that evening, with around 30 spellers between second and fifth grade and about eight rounds of words.  Weilenmann School of Discovery second-grader Sophie Tumer waves to her family during the Park Record Junior Spelling Bee on Tuesday at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium. Credit: Jack Casebolt/Park Record The students easily called out letters for some words — slab, daisy, coach, portal, warning, flashback, mercury, kazoo, salivate, kudos, substance, squelch, memes, anime, dramatization, cinderella, vlogging, iceberg, editorial. Some even had their own quirks to ensure they said the right combination, like bopping to each letter or counting on fingers.  Other spellings were trickier.  One student spelled onion with a “y” instead of an “i” and was eliminated. Another was given the word frontier. The speller swapped the “e” and “i” and paused for a beat before adding an “e” to the end of the word just for good measure. The young girl bounced off stage, seemingly unperturbed, when a bell dinged that she was incorrect.  More misspellings included giggle, abolish, doneness, disaster, peat, pupil, graham, convention, solidity, intertidal, procedure, eerily, yore, partridge, folate, serenade, ante, molasses, trustee, rotary and solicit. The challenge only intensified during the regional bee. Nearly three-quarters of the spellers were eliminated during the first round with words like legitimately, emancipatory, unbeknownst, renegotiate, incomplete, adolescence and debutante.  Only the Kenlon siblings remained in the competition by the fourth round.  Sasha was up first and had been quick to spell every word she was given. Pronouncer Kirsten Nilsson, a youth services librarian at the Summit County Library, said “existential,” and letters started to fly out of Sasha’s mouth.  “E-X-” she began. But then Sasha paused, finding herself off rhythm for a moment, and mixed up the subsequent letters.  All Wes had to do was spell the next two words correctly to avoid a back-and-forth spell-off with his sister. Nilsson gave him his word: FLOTUS, the title for the First Lady of the United States. Wes uttered the acronym. Then, his final word was woebegone. Another piece of cake for Wes. As Wes said the final “e,” Sasha leapt with excitement to embrace her brother and congratulate him. Sasha Kenlon hugs her younger brother, Wes, after realizing he won the Park Record Regional Spelling Bee on Wednesday. Credit: Jack Casebolt/Park Record “I’m glad he won,” she said, and made a joke about how she had English Language Arts class that morning. The Kenlons studied together, quizzing each other on words starting with the hardest and working back to the easiest. Often, Wes would pronounce words for Sasha, which she would spell back to him. Spellers competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee also have to answer a multiple-choice vocabulary question, so the Kenlons’ strategy may have helped West strengthen his own vocabulary skills in addition to spelling. Sasha wasn’t too upset about not being able to compete on the national stage. After all, she’ll still be able to visit Washington, D.C., to support Wes and is looking forward to spending time with the friends she made at previous competitions without feeling any pressure to perform. Sasha also told her younger brother he would have something to hold over her now, which Wes seemed excited about. But he’s not focused on trying to beat his big sister or her two-time record. “I was not expecting to go to nationals this year,” he said, adding that if he gets the chance to go again in 2027, he’ll feel really lucky. Credit: Jack Casebolt/Park Record Credit: Jack Casebolt/Park Record Credit: Jack Casebolt/Park Record Five students in second through fifth grades advanced from the Park Record Junior Spelling Bee on Tuesday night to the Park Record Regional Spelling Bee the next evening. Credit: Jack Casebolt/Park Record Photos from the junior and regional spelling bees are available to download for free at tinyurl.com/h6m3c9yf. The post Jeremy Ranch Elementary School student beats two-time champion sister to win regional spelling bee title appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less