From left, the top five winners Friday night at the 43rd annual Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee were: Mica Mondo, Veritas Classical Academy, fifth place; Kayley Schneider, Switzerland of Ohio, fourth place; Ojaswi Gautam, Marietta City Schools, third place; Charlee Harper, Switzerland of Ohio, fifth place; and Enzo Astorga, first place, Belpre City Schools. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

MARIETTA — Enzo Astorga felt good leaving the stage Friday night after winning the 43rd annual Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theater.

Before a large audience of students, family and supporters, Astorga, a student in Belpre City Schools, correctly spelled “languish,” besting Charlee Harper of the Switzerland of Ohio Local school district for first place.

Astorga said he participated in the spelling bee because he wanted to see how it was and winning felt good.

“I just wanted to try it out,” Astorga said.

Astorga’s mother Stacey Shimke said it is awesome that he won the regional spelling bee.

St. John Central student Coletyn Dyer spells a word during the second round of the Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee Friday night while other participants watch. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

“I am very proud of him,” Shimke said.

Astorga will go to the Scripps National Spelling Bee which takes place from May 28 to June 3 at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.

Students from 12 local school districts competed Friday in the 43rd annual Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theater.

The theater was filled with students and their supporters to watch the showdown between the area’s best spellers from Marietta City Schools, Belpre City Schools, Veritas Classical Academy, St. Mary Catholic School, Warren Local Schools, Fort Frye Local Schools, Frontier Local Schools, Wood County Schools, Switzerland of Ohio School District, St. Sylvester Central School, Pleasants County Schools and St. John Central School.

Marietta College Associate Provost Mark A. Miller was the pronouncer and Marietta Times staffer Candice Black was a judge. Marietta Times Executive Editor Christina Myer emceed the bee.

Belpre City Schools student Enzo Astorga scratches his head as he thinks of how to spell a word as Switzerland of Ohio student Charlee Harper waits her turn during the Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee Friday night. Astorga and Harper were the last two contestants and battled it out for first place, with Astorga ending up the first place winner. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

Marietta College has been involved in the spelling bee for years, Price, who said he was honored to be a part of it, said.

“I think things like the spelling bee are crucial for young people to stay engaged in learning.”

The bee consisted of three rounds. Participants were split into two groups. Group A participated in the first round and Group B participated in the second round. The top four from the first and second rounds went to the third round to compete for the $100 grand prize, sponsored by People’s Bank. Prizes were awarded to the top 5.

The first round spellers were tripped by words like “financier,” “anglophile,” “meteor” and “reprieve.” It took several turns to get down to the top four spellers in round one. Tristan Walter from Fort Frye, Josephine Wood from Switzerland of Ohio, Kenzi Cunningham of St. Mary and Kayley Scheider of Switzerland of Ohio made it to the third and final round.

The second round of spellers grappled with words like “nervily,” “cinematic,” “serenade” and ‘inflammable.’ Harper from St. Sylvester, Astorga from Belpre, Mica Mondo from Veritas and Ojaswi Gautam from Marietta advanced to the third and final round.

Josephine Woods, a student in Switzerland of Ohio, thinks about how to spell ‘anthropology’ while other students watch Friday night during the first round of the 43rd annual Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theater in Marietta. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

The third round saw participants trying to spell “refrigerant,” “quittance” and “cabaret.” At the end of the third round the only two left standing were Astorga and Harper.

They spelled back and forth for about a half an hour, sometimes getting several words right in a row, sometimes misspelling a few. To win one child had to get a word wrong and the other had to correctly spell two in a row.

That happened with Astorga correctly spelling “languish,” then Harper misspelling “chastise.” Astorga then correctly spelled “abject,” making him the winner of the 43rd annual Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee.

The top five winners received trophies, a certificate and other goodies. The students who placed were: Enzo Astorga, Belpre City Schools, first place; Charlee Harper, Switzerland of Ohio, second place; Ojaswi Gautam, Marietta City Schools, third place; Kayley Schneider, Switzerland of Ohio, fourth place; and Mica Mondo, Veritas Classical Academy, fifth place.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com