A student from the Blue Mountain School District recently represented Schuylkill County on the national stage while competing in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Nora Lloyd, a fifth grader from Blue Mountain Elementary East, earned her trip to the national competition after winning the 2026 NEPA MAEC Regional Spelling Bee earlier this year.
Nora was sponsored by the Schuylkill Technology Center.
Nora competed Tuesday against hundreds of top young spellers from across the United States during the bee’s preliminary rounds.
In the opening oral spelling round, Nora correctly spelled the word “Teutonic.”
She followed that with another successful performance during the second round of vocabulary competition. Contest officials asked Nora what the word “reign” referred to, and she correctly answered “royal authority.”
Nora’s run came to an end later Tuesday during the third preliminary round, a written spelling and vocabulary test.
According to Scripps officials, three preliminary rounds were held Tuesday. A total of 52 spellers were eliminated during the first oral spelling round, while 28 more were eliminated during the second-round vocabulary portion.
Following those rounds, 167 spellers advanced to the written test Tuesday afternoon. To move on to the quarterfinals, competitors needed to achieve a minimum score of 13 out of 30 on the exam.
After the written round concluded, 72 additional spellers were eliminated, leaving just 38.5% of the original field remaining in the competition.
Although Nora was eliminated in the third round, qualifying for and competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee marked a major accomplishment for the Blue Mountain student, who represented both her school and Schuylkill County on one of the nation’s biggest academic stages.
Nora earned her place at nationals after capturing the regional spelling bee championship earlier this year by correctly spelling the winning word “ripples.”
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is widely considered the premier spelling competition in the United States, bringing together many of the country’s top student spellers each year in Washington, D.C.
Photo credit: E.M. Pio Roda/Scripps National Spelling Bee or Hannah Foslien/Scripps National Spelling Bee
Nora competed Tuesday against hundreds of top young spellers from across the United States during the bee’s preliminary rounds.
In the opening oral spelling round, Nora correctly spelled the word “Teutonic.”
She followed that with another successful performance during the second round of vocabulary competition. Contest officials asked Nora what the word “reign” referred to, and she correctly answered “royal authority.”
Nora’s run came to an end later Tuesday during the third preliminary round, a written spelling and vocabulary test.
According to Scripps officials, three preliminary rounds were held Tuesday. A total of 52 spellers were eliminated during the first oral spelling round, while 28 more were eliminated during the second-round vocabulary portion.
Following those rounds, 167 spellers advanced to the written test Tuesday afternoon. To move on to the quarterfinals, competitors needed to achieve a minimum score of 13 out of 30 on the exam.
After the written round concluded, 72 additional spellers were eliminated, leaving just 38.5% of the original field remaining in the competition.
Although Nora was eliminated in the third round, qualifying for and competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee marked a major accomplishment for the Blue Mountain student, who represented both her school and Schuylkill County on one of the nation’s biggest academic stages.
Nora earned her place at nationals after capturing the regional spelling bee championship earlier this year by correctly spelling the winning word “ripples.”
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is widely considered the premier spelling competition in the United States, bringing together many of the country’s top student spellers each year in Washington, D.C.
Photo credit: E.M. Pio Roda/Scripps National Spelling Bee or Hannah Foslien/Scripps National Spelling Bee