North Rockford Middle School Student Wins Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – “When I heard the word ‘quadrilateral’, I knew I was going to Washington,” said Brady Bowers, winner of the 46th annual Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee presented by Kent ISD.  Bowers, a 13-year-old 7th grade student at North Rockford Middle School, enjoys advanced classes in math, science and Spanish immersion. He took home the top prize at the event on March 28 at Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum after multiple rounds of spelling and vocabulary, edging out fifteen student winners of regional qualifier bees in Kent, Ottawa, Newaygo, Allegan and Barry counties.

The competition is in the format of a spelldown in which each speller receives one word per round. They must spell the word correctly in order to advance to the next round. The final speller standing becomes the champion and this year that honor was awarded to Brady Bowers.  Second place finisher was Sanskriti Parihar, a fifth-grade student at Daisy Brook Elementary in Fremont in Newaygo County. Third place went to Stella Inchauste, a grade seven student at Cross Creek Charter Academy in Kent County. Fourth place was awarded to Stella Chung, a fifth-grade student at Wealthy Elementary in East Grand Rapids. Each received a Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary, 11th edition. Personalized Regional Winner plaques were awarded to all 16 students who participated in the Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee.

Brady Bowers, winner of the 2023 Greater Grand Rapids Spelling Bee, will compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals May 28 – June 3. He was awarded a trip for himself and a parent to travel to  the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center where the finals will be held near Washington, D.C. Additional prizes awarded to Bowers include the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, 2023 United State Mint Proof Set, a one-year subscription to Britannica online premium, and a Merriam-Webster Unabridged online certificate.

Please direct media inquiries to Joy Walczak, Kent ISD Communications Specialist at joywalczak@kentisd.org or 906.632.6290.

About Kent ISD
Kent ISD is a regional educational service agency devoted to achievement for all students.  We provide instructional and administrative services to more than 300 schools, 20 public districts, three non-public districts, and many public school academies and non-public schools within our boundaries. We serve the broader community by helping our schools prepare nearly 102,000 students for school and life success. 

## Kent ISD ##