Keith Valley Middle School Student heading to national Spelling Bee competition

A Keith Valley Middle School student is headed to the national spelling bee after recently winning the local Scripps Bucks-Mont regional competition.

Maia Methai, a 6th grader, correctly spelled “umbelliferous” after 18 rounds to capture the title competing against 35 other competitors from Bucks and Montgomery County schools. It took 10 rounds to determine a winner between the final two contestants.

Methai now advances to compete in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer from May 27-29 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. 

In addition to competing in the national competition,  she has also won the following prizes for her efforts: 

• A six-night, expense-paid trip for themselves and one parent/guardian to Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland;
• The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a 2025 United States Mint Proof Set;
• A one-year subscription to Britannica Online Premium;
• A one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online
• A first-place trophy
• A $100 Amazon gift card

“Every year these students show us how impressive their spelling skills are, and this year is no different. It’s clear that they all worked very hard to get here, and we’re proud of everyone who competed no matter what number they placed,” said Bill Senavaitis, President of PSEA’s Mideastern Region.

Second and third place winners were Natalie Paul from Corpus Christi School and Thomas Picard from Welsh Valley Middle School.