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STEUBENVILLE -- This year's Jefferson-Harrison County Regional Spelling Bee on Tuesday became one of the latest events to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials with the bee, which since its inception in 1985 has been presented by the Herald-Star, made the decision shortly after learning that this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee had been canceled.
The regional bee, which annually features the top spellers from the Buckeye Local, Edison Local, Indian Creek Local, Harrison Hills City, Toronto City and Steubenville City school districts and the Heart of Mary Homeschool Association, had been scheduled for March 14 at Buckeye North Elementary School in Brilliant. The winning speller of that bee would have received a trip to the Washington, D.C., suburb of National Harbor, Md., to compete in the national bee, which had been scheduled for May 24-30.
Organizers had been forced to postpone the regional bee on March 12, as growing concerns about COVID-19 led Gov. Mike DeWine to temporarily close Ohio's schools. DeWine announced Monday that students would not return to classrooms for the remainder of the current school year.
Ron Sismondo, director of curriculum and professional development at the Jefferson County Educational Service Center and the longtime bee coordinator, said his committee was left with no choice but to make the difficult decision to cancel this year's regional bee. He added that the focus of the committee would now shift to the 2020-21 academic year and next year's regional bee.
"This is the first time in the history of the regional bee that we will not be able to crown a champion," said Ross Gallabrese, executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times. "It's so disappointing, because the pupils have been working to prepare for the bee since school started last August."
The bee will return next year, Scripps said, but that's little comfort to the eighth-graders who are missing out on their last shot in the competition. Scripps will not change eligibility requirements for the next bee, which is scheduled for June 1-3, 2021.
The bee, which began in 1925 and was last canceled from 1943-45 because of World War II, has always been restricted to elementary and middle-schoolers.
"My heart goes out to every one of those kids affected. As a former speller, all I can say is I can only imagine, and my heart breaks for them," said Paige Kimble, the bee's longtime executive director and the 1981 champion. "Our eighth-grade spellers are much like the class of 2020 high school seniors, in the ranks of many enduring heartbreak as a result of these pandemic circumstances."
Ten eighth-graders had qualified for the regional bee.
Scripps had announced on March 20 that the bee would not be held as scheduled the week of May 24. Hundreds of children compete every year in the national finals, which are televised by ESPN, and Scripps was aiming this year for a field of around 400.
"The bee has determined there is no clear path to safely set a new date in 2020," Scripps said in a statement, noting "uncertainty around when public gatherings will be possible or advisable."
Kimble and the bee staff had left open the possibility of holding a virtual bee, but they concluded it would be too difficult logistically and would not be true to the spirit of the competition.
"The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an in-person live event, the same way that a basketball game is or a football game or a soccer game or a tennis match," Kimble said. "It's just not something that can be effectively transferred to the virtual world."
Sponsors of the regional bee included S.T.A.R.T., 360 Safe Solutions and Old Glory Embroidery; Ascent Resources; Encino Energy; the Franciscan University of Steubenville; Tri-State Financial Services; Gary Cain Realty and Auctioneers; Gus's Goodies; McBane Insurance and Financial Services; Huntington Bank; PNC Bank; the Ohio Lottery Commission; and Merriam-Webster Inc.