Joey Ramirez, a fourth-grader at West Sedona School, will be representing the Sedona-Oak Creek School District at the 78th Annual Yavapai County Spelling Bee, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m. at the Phillip England Center for Performing Arts, located at 210 Camp Lincoln Road in Camp Verde.
- To see photos from the 2023 West Sedona School Spelling Bee click here.
The county spelling bee is a tournament of champions featuring the best spellers from public, private, charter and homeschool competitions. Ramirez won second place and $50 during the school spelling bee on Friday, Dec. 8. Coming in first after 23 rounds and 100 words was fifth-grader Hendrix Mitchell, who won after successfully spelling the word “thousand” and walked away with $75 and a trophy that was donated by the Sedona Bell Rock Kiwanis Club.
“We’re excited about [Ramirez] going over and representing our school,” WSS Principal ElizabethTavasci said. “[Mitchell’s] family had moved her, so she’s no longer attending our campus and so she can’t represent our school. But [Ramirez] is a wonderful young man, and we know that he’ll represent us well. “He and his family have been here [at WSS] his entire school career,” Tavasci continued. “He has quite a few siblings that have gone through West Sedona School. So we’re excited that [Ramirez] is going to represent our school. He’s just a really great kid. He’s very smart. He’s very kind, polite. He’s just well liked by his peers. He’s just, overall, a really good kid. He’s a bit reserved, but he has this beautiful smile that just shines.”
“Joey is a wonderful young man that works incredibly hard,” his teacher Kelly Cadigan said. “He strives to do his best each and every day. [Ramirez] demonstrates kindness towards his peers. He is a responsible helper and strives to be a good role model for all. He is a wonderful brother, student and friend. [Ramirez] has worked very hard on these spelling words and continues to demonstrate his commitment to learning and growing. We are so proud of him for his accomplishment of being a finalist in our school spelling bee and now reaching our county spelling bee.”
The Arizona State Spelling Bee will be held in Phoenix on Saturday, March 16, before the top two spellers from the state advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee later this spring
