About 150 spellers qualified, representing 66 schools from 10 counties in central Pennsylvania.  They all gathered on January 27 and took a 100-word written test at the witf Public Media Center in Harrisburg..

Thirty-six of the top spellers are now advancing to the Grand Championship Spelling Bee on February 23. While competing onstage at the witf Public Media Center, these spellers will rely on their hours of studying and understanding of a word’s origins to avoid the dreaded bell signaling they are wrong and out.  The finalists for 2013 witf’s Grand Championship Spelling Bee are:

• Aleah Alderson, Mt. Carmel Area JSHS
• Kevin Ballentine, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD
• Anne Baskwill, York Suburban MS
• Alex Byrne, Central York MS
• Jacob Chadwell, Infinity Charter School
• Jasmine Deitz, Northern Lebanon MS
• Katie Dudding, St. Joseph School, Mechanicsburg
• Derek Etter, Red Lion Area JHS
• Tessa Flanagan, Palmyra Area MS
• Kaitlyn Galliher, Susquenita MS
• Grace Gilbert, Lower Dauphin MS
• Gloria Givler, Camp Hill MS
• Harshita Gupta, Good Hope MS, Cumberland Valley SD
• Faith Harron, Lamberton MS, Carlisle Area SD
• Taylor Haupt, Eagle View MS, Cumberland Valley SD
• Kara Kohler, Lemoyne MS, West Shore SD
• Jin Hyung Lee, Tuscarora JHS, Juniata County SD
• Abby Madar, Mechanicsburg MS
• Sara Malina, Linglestown MS, Central Dauphin SD
• Dusty Martin, Shippensburg Area MS
• Sarah Martin, Greencastle-Antrim MS
• Matthew Miller, Greencastle-Antrim MS
• Krittika Negandhi, Good Hope MS, Cumberland Valley SD
• Ashley Phillips, Selinsgrove Area MS
• Olivia Ramsey, Swatara MS, Central Dauphin SD
• Aparajita Rao, St. Joan of Arc School, Hershey
• Rohan Rashid, Conewago Valley IS
• Noah Ryan, Yellow Breeches MS, South Middleton SD
• Lauren Silver, Linglestown MS, Central Dauphin SD
• Mara Smeltzer, Gettysburg Area MS
• Katie Stoak, Linglestown MS, Central Dauphin SD
• Edward Trippett Jr., Central York MS
• Laura Weiss, St. Joseph School, Mechanicsburg
• Gabe Wisniewski, Middletown Area MS
• Madeline Wolfe, Palmyra Area MS
• Devin Yeatter, Big Spring MS

Quiz: Can you spell the words on last year's Central PA Spelling Bee written test?

Thank you to all the spellers who participated in the written test and congratulations to all who are advancing!

Competitors continue until only one speller remains. That Grand Champion will then travel to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the Washington, D.C. area in the spring.

You can watch the contest on witf TV, Sunday, February 24 at 5 p.m. with rebroadcasts on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 1 at 1pm.

witf’s Central PA Spelling Bee is supported by The Hershey Company, The Kline Foundation and Volvo Construction Equipment.