Home-Schooled Student Repeats As Spelling Bee Champ

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Homeschooled student Storrie Kulynych-Irvin outlasted 30 other champion spellers Saturday to capture her second straight Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee championship and earn a trip to the national competition later this year, according to the AACPS Communications Office

Storrie, who finished third two years ago, correctly spelled the word mandir in the 49th round to win the title at the 29th annual event. Reagan Jaikeran of Monsignor Slade Catholic School finished second, and Julianna Bibbo of School Of The Incarnation was third for the second consecutive year.

The county bee is a partnership of Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the 21st Century Education Foundation. This year’s event sponsor is M&T Bank. The champion sponsor for this year is Educational Systems Federal Credit Union and the bee’s media partner is Capital Gazette Communications.

Storrie will represent Anne Arundel County at the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a not-for-profit educational promotion sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company in conjunction with businesses and community organizations around the world. Each sponsor organizes a spelling bee program in its community with the cooperation of area public private, charter, parochial, and homeschool officials.

All of the spellers received a medallion, certificate, and a prize bag that contains assorted gift items and a commemorative poster. The top three finishers each received trophies and additional prizes.
Storrie also won a Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and a Samuel Louis Sugarman Award certificate and savings bond donated by Jay Sugarman in honor of his father, a lifelong advocate of education.

»Photo of Storrie Kulynych-Irvin, courtesy of Anne Arundel County Public Schools