For many years now, the second Saturday in March has held a special spot on the late winter academic calendar.

That’s traditionally been the day when the region’s top spellers have gathered to participate in the Jefferson-Harrison County Regional Spelling Bee, Presented by the Herald-Star.

This year will be no exception — the top 31 spellers from the local school districts, plus one home-schooled pupil, will gather at Buckeye North Elementary School in Brilliant at 11 a.m. March 14, with nothing less than a trip to Washington, D.C., and a chance to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee, on the line.

It’s been an annual tradition since 1985, when Jimmy Yoo, who represented the Steubenville City School District, became the first winner.

Competition at the district level can be pretty intense, especially in the bee’s later stages, and it has not been unusual for the final two participants to spell back-and-forth for many rounds before a winner finally has emerged.

Anyone who follows spelling bees has no doubt wondered why certain words pop up where they do in the competition. That can be perplexing from time to time. Rest assured, words given to the spellers by bee officials come in order from a list supplied by Scripps. And that list remains hidden behind several layers of electronic security, accessible only to the pronouncer and a handful of other bee officials.

To have been able to have won some of the recent regional bees, you would have had to have spelled many words correctly to even have gotten the chance to spell “colcannon,” which is a dish featuring potatoes and cabbage that are boiled and mashed together with butter and seasoning; “Keplerian,” which means relating to or characteristic of the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, or his works; or “fastuous,” which means haughty or arrogant, ostentatious or showy.

Those were the winning words in 2005, 2016 and 2024. Joining that roster was last year’s winning word, “abscess,” which is a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue.

During the more than 40 years of competition, there have been several multiple winners. Amy Francy, who represented the Diocese of Steubenville, was the first, winning in 1988 and 1990. Angela Zeroski of the Buckeye Local School District was the winner in 1989.

Split repeats have happened several times: Derek Gavorcik, a pupil at West Elementary School, won in 2002 and 2004, with Kristin Cummings of Karaffa Middle School taking the win in 2003. Dharani Kotekal, a pupil at Indian Creek Middle School, won in 2010 and 2012, with Brianna Piergallini, also of Indian Creek Middle, winning in 2011.

Winning the bee in consecutive years were Frank Zeroski of the Buckeye Local School District (1996 and 1997), Nathan Keenan of Toronto Junior-Senior High School (2013 and 2014) and Andrew Macdonald of Bishop John King Mussio Junior High School (2022 and 2023.)

Meadow Jackson won in consecutive years as well, and what makes her accomplishment interesting is that she represented All-Saints Elementary School in 2008 and the Jefferson County Christian School in 2009.

Only one speller has won three consecutive bees: That honor belongs to Erica Williamson of the Edison Local School District, who captured victories in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

Finishing first in the regional bee will come with more than just a trip to Washington. The winner also will receive a trophy from the Jefferson County Educational Service Center, a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary Online, a one-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium from Encyclopedia Britannica, a $250 gift from the educational service center and a $500 gift from the educational service center and bee sponsors to help with travel and miscellaneous expenses.

And, the winner’s school will receive a one-year subscription to News-O-Matic, a digital news platform that offers daily, age-appropriate articles about current events. Special prizes with go to competitors who finish second through 10th, and all participants will receive a spelling bee bobblehead courtesy of M&M Hardware and a book bag courtesy of PNC Bank.

Pulling the bee together is the work of a dedicated committee, again led by Ron Sismondo, the director of curriculum and professional development at the educational service center. Also helping to ensure the bee is a success is a roster of local, state and national sponsors, including S.T.A.R.T., Ascent Resources, Cardinal Operating Co., Mingo Knights of Columbus, Gary W. Cain Realty and Auctioneers, State Farm Insurance — Casie Johnson, Dr. Paul Macdonald, Tri-State Financial Services — Ken Perkins, M&M Hardware, PNC Bank and the Ohio Lottery Commission.

This year’s field will include the top five finishers from the bees held by the Steubenville, Toronto and Harrison Hills city school districts and the Indian Creek, Buckeye and Edison local school districts, plus one home-schooled pupil. They’ve been studying since school resumed in August and have made it through classroom and building bees.

Could there be a repeat winner this year? It’s possible: Brheanna Boyles, a seventh-grader at Buckeye Local Junior High school, was the 2024 regional champion and won this year’s Buckeye Local district title, while Kaden Haddox, a seventh-grader at Indian Creek Middle School who won last year’s regional bee, took first place in the Indian Creek district bee.

There might also be a new champion who will represent our area in Washington.

Regardless of the outcome, each of the competitors in the March 14 bee will have worked hard to secure their spot. We hope you’ll come out and support them.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is senior writer for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)