Jefferson County’s very own Natalie Russ, a Clancy Elementary School student, returned a champion after participating in the 58th annual Treasure State Spelling Bee held at Montana State University on March 11.
Some of the words she faced during the competition were “portentous,” “caprifig,” “alluvial” and “anemone.” In the end, she won after spelling the word “polysemy” – a word with Greek and English origins meaning “the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase,” according to Oxford Language.
“I was kind of doubtful on the word portentous,” Russ said. “I was debating if it should be “u-o-u-s” or “o-u-s,” and I got it right.”
Leading up to the state bee, Russ put in the work to become a champion.
Every night before bed, she reviewed the Scripps word list, cross-checking with a dictionary to find the definitions and pronunciations of words she didn’t know.
Russ’s win at the state bee earned her $1,000 and a trip to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland May 28 through June 3. While there, Russ will participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and Bee Week for a chance to win $50,000.
The actual televised competition will commence on May 30 and conclude on Thursday June 1.
Russ previously qualified for the 2022 Treasure State Spelling Bee – after winning her first championship at the 2022 Jefferson County Spelling Bee – advancing to fifth place.
