WALDORF, Md. — The gym at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School buzzed with excitement on March 5, 2025, as top middle school spellers from across Charles County competed in the 47th annual Charles County Spelling Bee. Seven Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) middle schools sent teams of three students—except John Hanson Middle School, with two—joined by participants from private schools and a homeschool co-op.
After several rounds, the Final 5 emerged: sixth grader James Harper of Milton M. Somers Middle School, seventh graders Aruuke Rayeva of Archbishop Neale School (ANS) and Eli Woodall of Grace Lutheran School, and eighth graders Gavin Booker of Matthew Henson Middle School and Savannah McLaughlin of Mattawoman Middle School. The competition narrowed to Harper and Rayeva, who traded correct spellings through the ninth round. Rayeva clinched the title when Harper misspelled “jettison,” and she correctly spelled “farkleberry” followed by “allergenic,” earning the 2025 championship.
Rayeva will represent Charles County at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, marking its 100th anniversary, held near Washington, D.C., in late May. ANS, coached by Laura Schreyer, won a plaque for the highest team points. Rayeva received a $1,000 check from sponsor Educational Systems Federal Credit Union and a trophy, while Booker, Harper, McLaughlin, and Woodall each took home trophies. CCPS, the credit union, and SMECO sponsored the event.
Students qualified through school-level bees. Participating teams included Theodore G. Davis (Xavier Obannon, Eliakim Quirante, David Regennitter; coach Delishia Deavis), John Hanson (Delante Nash Jr., Jayde-Marie Tucker; coach Kimberle Johnson), Matthew Henson (Booker, Andrew Larkin, Malik Ndiaye; coach Debby Holder), Mattawoman (Alivia Lanier, McLaughlin, Demencio Calhoun; coach Chris Rubenstahl), Piccowaxen (Jayson Armstrong, Roman Brueckner, Olivia Hays; coach Amber Sullivan), General Smallwood (Montez Fiore, Eva Gonzalez, Emily McLeary; coach Shannon Elder), Benjamin Stoddert (Maximus Bailey, Saniyah Latimer, Ryker Widener; coach Taylor Covington), ANS (Rayeva, Eben Schlereth, Brandon Williams; coach Schreyer), Grace Lutheran (Oliver Brown, Blair Mausen, Woodall; coach Curt Springer), Neighborhood Creative Arts Center Homeschool Co-op (Haley Adams, Basilio Benitez, Eze Edmund Onodugo; coach Georgia Bonney), Southern Maryland Christian Academy (Brennan Klemme, Angelo Milazzo, Savannah Slusher; coach Lanaya Ramsey), and St. Peter’s (Jeneva Anderson, Jacob Dewey, Isabella Pinola; coach Tina Wagner).
