Lower Eastern Shore students will converge on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore this weekend for an old-fashioned spelldown.
UMES will host the 2026 Maryland Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 7, at the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts. The competition begins at 10 a.m.
UMES has sponsored the event since 2013, with the exception of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are proud to once again be in partnership with the Scripps National Spelling Bee that supports local students’ love of learning,” said Earl Holland Jr., UMES public relations director and bee organizer. “This event not only puts into focus the importance of student-centered success, but also community engagement, which are touchstones of our institutional mission.”
Since its inception, the regional spelling bee has provided students in grades three through eight with an opportunity to showcase their spelling and vocabulary skills. The winner of the bee receives a keepsake trophy and an all-expense-paid trip to the nation’s capital in late May to compete with top spellers nationally in the 101st Scripps National Spelling Bee.
This year’s competition will feature 50 elementary and middle school students from public and private schools in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties.
Megan Barrientos of Wicomico Middle School, who won last year’s Maryland Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee, finished as a semifinalist at the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee. Barrientos, now an eighth grader, will attempt to defend her title in her final appearance.
Entry for the free event begins at 8:30 a.m. It is open to the general public.
For more information on the Maryland Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee, go to wwwcp.umes.edu/bee.
