Family members, teachers, and friends were on hand this past Saturday to support 25 Boston youth from across the City competing in Boston’s 18th annual BCYF Citywide Spelling Bee. Organized by Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the City of Boston’s largest youth and human service agency, and sponsored by the Boston Bruins Foundation, the winner, Sanjay Malhotra, now goes on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in May.
Over 3,000 young people participated in Boston public and parochial school spelling bees to qualify for the BCYF Citywide Bee. The preparation helps young people improve their spelling, broaden their vocabulary, and build self-confidence.
“The remarkable poise and linguistic talent shown by our spellers today were truly inspiring, and we are immensely proud of every student who took the stage,” said Marta E. Rivera, Commissioner of BCYF. “We remain deeply grateful to the Boston Bruins Foundation for their steadfast partnership in providing this enriching opportunity for our city’s youth. A special thank you goes to our esteemed judges for volunteering their time and expertise to support our students’ academic journeys. We will be enthusiastically cheering on Sanjay as he represents the pride of Boston at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this May.”
Commissioner Rivera opened the speaking program and welcomed the spellers and their families. All spellers were given participation medals. The Bee was held in Rabb Hall at the Boston Public Library’s Copley Branch. Judges were Head Judge: Kristin McSwain, Chief of Policy and Research, City of Boston; Pronouncer: Sebastian Stockman; Professor of English, Northeastern University; and Records Judge: Lisa Conley, Deputy Chief of Human Services, City of Boston.
Sanjay Malhotra, age 12, the winner of this year’s Bee, won by spelling "Brume” correctly. The second place finisher was Haylee Chen, age 12 and coming in third was Saabir Abdirahman, age 9. The Bee went 13 rounds and 3 final and 7 championship rounds.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running spelling bee. This year’s Boston winner will now advance to compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The one and only national winner from Massachusetts was in 1939. In addition to the opportunity to advance to the National Bee, the BCYF Spelling Bee winner receives a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, a one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online Premium, a one-year subscription to News-O-Matic Subscription and a trophy. Second place and third place finishers received a $125 Amazon gift card and trophies.
Participating Spellers:
School
Speller Name
Grade
Age
Neighborhood
Boston College High School
Connor Theis
East Boston
Boston Latin Academy
Maya Mastrodicasa
West Roxbury
Boston Latin School
Lily Liang
Brighton
Boston Preparatory Charter School
Elizabeth Brea
Back Bay
Curtis Guild Elementary
James Brownwell
East Boston
David A. Ellis Elementary School
Juliyanni Banks
Roxbury
Dudley St. Neighborhood Charter School
Marie Ndoye
Roxbury
Edison K-8
Paul Jepson
Brighton
Edward Brooke Charter School, East Boston
Nathan Solomon
East Boston
Edward Brooke Charter School, Mattapan
Saabir Abdirahman
Roxbury
Edward Brooke Charter School, Roslindale
Ethan Dorilas
Mattapan
Henry Grew Elementary School
Ardyn Perry
Roslindale
Hugh R. O’ Donnell Elementary School
Haytam El Ayoubi
East Boston
James F. Condon K-8 School
Laylah Robinson
South End
James Otis Elementary School
Aliyah May Francois
East Boston
John Eliot K-8
Sanjay Malhotra
Roxbury
Joseph Manning Elementary School
Sydney Schiff
Jamaica Plain
Kipp Academy, Boston
Debra - Faith Butler
Dorchester
Patrick Lyndon Elementary School
Coraline McNamara
Roslindale
Rafael Hernandez K-8 School
Malala Madden Fuoco
Hyde Park
Richard Murphy K-8 School
Sophia Rice
Dorchester
Samuel Adams Elementary
Julian Grondin
East Boston
South Boston Catholic Academy
Liam Sullivan
St. John School
Madelyn Lashway
Back Bay
Warren Prescott K-8 School
Alexandra Das
Charlestown
William H. Ohrenberger
Clairy Gonzalez-Pimentel
Roslindale
Winship Elementary School
Haylee Chen
Brighton
Winning words from the previous years of the Bee:
Year
Winning Word
2008
Lariat
2009
Scenario
2010
Ravioli
2011
Toboggan
2012
Myriad
2013
Schnauzer
2014
Contiguous
2015
Schottische
2016
Diurnal
2017
Cacophony
2018
Crescendo
2019
Huckabee
2021
Glissando
2022
Après
2023
Ancho
2024
Cornea
2025
Senecio
2026
Brume
Boston Centers for Youth & Families’smission is to strengthen Boston youth and families in their pursuit of success through meaningful relationships, essential programs, and vital community resources.