Lee County Spelling Bee Champion Crowned

Verism means extreme or strict naturalism in art or literature. To Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School 7th grader Nicasio David, it means a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. In round 13 of the 2024 Lee County Spelling Bee, Nicasio correctly spelled verism to win the county championship.

“I was fairly sure I remembered seeing verism before and because it was Italian, I felt like my spelling was probably right,” Nicasio said. “Grandrelle required much more luck. That one was hard.”

To prepare for the Lee County bee, Nicasio says he studied the Words of Champions list, Greek and Latin word roots and affixes and Germanic and Anglo-French derived words to help recognize patterns. To prepare for the Scripps National Spelling Bee he’ll start studying the book, "Words of Wisdom, Keys to Success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee."

“I am very grateful for winning and for the opportunity to go to the national bee,” he said.

The grand prize for winning the Bee from sponsor Suncoast Credit Union is a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The National Competition will begin with the Preliminaries on Tuesday, May 28, and conclude with the Finals on Thursday, May 30. Bee Week starts Sunday, May 26 and is a week-long experience for spellers and their families that includes special events, educational workshops, excursions into Washington, D.C., and more.