Kaitlyn Toole battled severe anxiety this school year prior to both her classroom and group spelling bees, but she appears to be right at home on the very biggest of stages now.
Kaitlyn, a fifth-grade student at Byrd Elementary School, won the South Carolina Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers. She advanced to the regional spelling bee after placing second in the Aiken County Public Schools’ Spelling Bee in early February.
“I did not expect that at all,” stated Kaitlyn, who received plenty of congratulatory remarks when she returned to school. “I was shocked. It was like I was in a dream. I couldn’t believe I had won. It took me a minute to really process it. Maybe more like a whole day.”
She now advances to the national-level Scripps Spelling Bee National Finals scheduled for early June in Washington, D.C. As a regional bee winner, Kaitlyn receives an all-expense paid trip to the Finals, a Carolina Panthers’ jersey, an autographed football that will be signed by the team, a one-year subscription to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online Dictionary, a one-year subscription to the Encyclopedia Britannica Online Premium, and a U.S. Mint Commemorative Proof Set.
Kaitlyn and her classmates at Byrd Elementary experienced a tragedy one month ago with the sudden passing of beloved fifth-grade teacher Dana Foster. Dana Foster and Amber Bowman team-taught Kaitlyn and her classmates.
“It feels amazing to be able to make people happy,” commented Kaitlyn. “All the time I was up there on stage I was thinking of Ms. Foster and when I won, I knew she was with me.”
Bowman gave Kaitlyn a big hug when she walked into class Monday as her classmates cheered and clapped their hands.
“We are so proud of Kaitlyn,” stated Bowman. “She’s amazing.”
Byrd Elementary School Principal Renae Enlow says Kaitlyn has worked very hard to calm her pre-competition nerves to become a spelling bee champion.
“Kaitlyn just has to get started in the competition. Once she gets on stage she is ready to go, and I could not be any prouder of her,” commented Enlow. “She’s given us all something good to hold on to with everything that’s been going on. We know how proud Ms. Foster would be of Kaitlyn. Dana would be over-the-moon excited right now.”
Kaitlyn was not the only ACPSD student who competed at the regional bee. A total of 14 District students traveled to Charlotte. Middle school students included Aiken County Public Schools’ Spelling Bee winner Ayla Holmes (Paul Knox Middle School), Evelina Burr (A.L. Corbett Middle School), Ogechukwu Oli Eneje (Kennedy Middle School), Tyler Deyton (LBC Middle School), Kaydee Croom (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School), Quintin Armstrong (North Augusta Middle School), Isaac Shockney (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School, and Elliana Smith (Kennedy Middle School). Elementary students included Sa’Maya Lovett (Graniteville Elementary), Adrian Thomas (Hammond Hill Elementary), Corbin Banks (Jefferson Elementary), Chloe Epling (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary), and Gage Peterson (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary.
“Ayla is awesome and we’ve become good friends,” stated Kaitlyn. “I think winning the regional bee shows everyone no matter how young you are, you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. It feels great that I can actually help encourage other people with that.”
Kaitlyn says she is most excited to visit the Washington Monument in June.
“I’m very excited about the trip,” commented Kaitlyn. “I really want to see the Washington Monument. It’s a big old obelisk and I want to see that in real life. There are so many other things I want to see, and I just cannot believe I’m going to be there.”
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LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2022 PR REG SPELLING BEE WINNER