Leo Furlong from Burris Laboratory Middle School is the champion of the regional spelling bee sponsored by Ball State PBS. His winning word was “leviathan.” The competition involving 41 spellers from 41 local schools lasted 8 rounds.

The first runner-up is Christopher Li from Heritage Hall Christian Middle School.

Spellers competed at Sursa Performance Hall on March 8. Felicia Gray served as pronouncer for the competition, and the judges – tasked with tracking every word and verifying spelling accuracy – were Stephanie Weichmann and Kay Stickle. Spellers studied “Words of the Champions,” the 4,000-word list provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee, to prepare for the competition.

Furlong now advances to compete in the 100^th Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer near Washington, D.C. The semifinals and finals will be May 27-29, 2025.

Those familiar with the bee know that the station usually has nearly 50 champion spellers competing on stage. Champion spellers from nearly 40 schools from Delaware, Blackford, Jay, Randolph, Madison, and Henry counties are expected to compete in the first round.

For the official rules, click here.

Support for the bee is provided by:

Family Vision Care is the presenting sponsor. Ball State University Teachers College is the school fees sponsor. Major support is provided by Avila Orthodontics; Leland C. Wilhoite, DDS; Masters Insurance; Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities; Scott E. Trout, DDS; Muncie Optimist Club and Sam Pierce Chevrolet.