The Wayne County Spelling Bee celebrated its 100th anniversary in dramatic fashion Thursday evening, concluding after only eight rounds, each including a twist that challenged students’ knowledge beyond spelling.
The bee, held at Orrville High School with 20 spellers, required participants to show their understanding of the definition of the words as well as spelling them correctly.
At the end of the night, Chippewa Jr./Sr. High School eighth grade student Zachary Yeager took the first-place title and Kailie Stephens, a Wooster High School freshman, was runner-up.
Kailie Stephens, left, and Zachary Yeager, finished runner-up and first, respectively, in the 2025 Wayne County Spelling Bee held at Orrville High School on Tuesday evening.
Yeager, the son of Derek and Kelly Yeager, emerged as the winner by correctly spelling “ineffable,” which means “too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.”
Stephens, the daughter of Megan and Keith Stephens, secured her spot by correctly spelling “contrariwise,” meaning “in the opposite way or order.”
Yeager credited his preparation and support system for his victory.
“I tested with my dad, and I also used the Spelling Bee app. I practiced a lot after school,” he said. “I’m happy and excited to move on.”
Runner-up says performance was mix of skill and luck
Despite her success, Stephens said she hadn’t prepared for the competition.
“Absolutely nothing, actually. It was just natural talent, I suppose,” she said with a laugh.
She described her performance as a mix of skill and luck.
Zachary Yeager, an eighth grade student at Chippewa Jr./Sr. High School, is this year’s Wayne County Spelling Bee champion.
Stephens had to fight for her second-place position in a round against Kaylee Zimmerly of Kingsway Christian School and Aubreigh Banfield of Triway Middle School.
“I feel like I got a lot of really easy words, whereas a lot of other people got words and I’m like, ‘what the heck does that mean’,” she said.
Stephens said she did shed tears because she didn’t win, “but other than that, I’m amazing.”
Because the Wayne County Spelling Bee was not a qualifying event for the annual regional bee in Akron, local spellers will take an online test in late February, and the top 10 will move on to the Regional Bee, according to Laura Kessel, spelling bee coordinator.
The 96th Akron Beacon Journal Regional Bee will be held at noon Saturday, March 15, at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St., Akron.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster and Chippewa spellers take top spots in Wayne Bee
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