The Vermont Principals Association
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Vermont State Spelling Bee 

Sponsored by WCAX and the VPA

The VPA is excited to offer the opportunity for our VPA Member school students from grades 1 through 8 to compete in a spelling bee competition through the Scripps National Spelling Bee. A student’s journey begins at the school level and may end at the national level!  Below is information to help provide guidance on timeline and process.

The VPA will host our state Bee on March 24th from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Saint Michael’s College. Spellers should arrive by 2:30 for a mandatory meeting at 2:45.

 The Bee’s Educator Guide  is helpful for school principals and school bee coordinators.

Schools enroll at spellingbee.com during the fall and early winter. The per-school fee is $185 (if enrolled before October 31st) The cost goes to $199 if enrolled after October 31st (payable via check or credit card). Once enrolled, school bee coordinators log into spellingbee.com to access to all materials needed to conduct classroom and school bees, including:

  • Study lists with spellings and word meanings for grades 1-8,
  • The 2025 Classroom Competition List for administering classroom spelling bees,
  • The 2025 School Competition List for administering a school spelling bee,
  • 2025 Words of the Champions, a 4,000-word study list for your school bee champion(s),
  • The Great Words, Great Works reading list containing all source books for the School Spelling Bee Study List, organized by grade level,
  • Supplemental word meaning materials for classroom and school levels, and
  • Printable award certificates for participants and your school champion.

Schools should conduct their bees anytime between September 2024 and February 2025. Each school may advance up to three bee champions to the VPA Vermont state Bee. Please note: All school champions must be registered via the Scripps Spelling Bee website by February 24th, 2025.

School champions use Scripps’ study materials – the 2025 Words of the Champions list – to prepare for our VPA state competition. In addition to the 2025 Words of the Champions study list, all students may download the Bee’s Word Club app via the Google Play Store or Apple Store and access FREE spelling and vocabulary quizzes for all 4,000 words on the 2025 Words of the Champions study list!