TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – The 2024 Pima County Spelling Bee drew students from school districts across Pima County, but one eighth-grader from TUSD took home the top prize.
“Macchiato” was the winning word that eighth-grader Ricardo Cabrera won on Saturday, Feb. 17, beating out 36 other spellers.
Cabrera, a student at Dodge Magnet Middle School, survived a spell of 2 1/2 hours and 10 rounds.
Bryant Banzhaf, a fifth-grader from the Marana School District, was the runner-up and will join Cabrera in mid-March for the Arizona Education Foundation State Spelling Bee.
Left to right: 1st Place Ricardo Cabrera and 2nd Place Bryant Banzhaf / Provided by the Pima County Schools Superintendent's Office.
“Reaching the Pima County Spelling Bee is a tremendous accomplishment. We are very proud of all of the outstanding spellers who competed,” said Pima County Schools Superintendent Dustin J. Williams. .
The two will compete to represent Arizona at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland in May against winners from other counties.
Allegra Kuner, a seventh-grader from Vail Unified School District, placed third and will be an alternate in the state bee.
From left to right: 1st place Ricardo Cabrera, 2nd place Bryant Banzhaf, 3rd Place Allegra Kuner/Courtesy of the Pima County Schools Superintendent's Office.
2024 Pima County Spelling Bee
- 1st place: Ricardo Cabrera, 8th grade, Dodge Traditional Magnet Middle School, TUSD
- 2nd place: Bryant Banzhaf, 5th grade, Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary School, Marana Unified
- 3rd place: Allegra Kuner, 7th grade, Desert Sky Middle School, Vail Unified.
- 4th place: Tobi Marcus, 6th grade, Legacy Traditional School Northwest
