Mount Vernon eighth-grader Edith Dawson will be advancing to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., May 31 through June 2.
Dawson was the winner of the Dispatch-Argus Regional Spelling Bee held Saturday, March 19, in Rock Island.
Dawson said during the competition, she had spelled 14 words correctly in the competition before getting the final word correct.
She said that work is now beginning from now until May to work on additional spelling word review to prepare for the national competition.
“My mom [Erica] helped quiz me on words in preparation of the regional competition,” Dawson said. “I’ll continue to study more words, especially their definitions and pronunciation of words to help me in the National bee.”
She said she is excited to be representing Mount Vernon at the National level of the spelling bee.
Dawson is the second student from Mount Vernon schools to ever advance to the national competition.
She is also not a neophyte to spelling bee competitions, as she and her family participated in the Lisbon Library’s spelling bee competitions when they’ve been held pre-COVID.
Outside of spelling, Dawson said she likes to read, as it’s a great way to build a vocabulary.
She’s also a member of the Middle School Science Olympiad and Math Olympiad teams, and will be participating in track and field this fall. She plays violin and piano as instruments. She’s also an junior member of the Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission.
“I really need to thank all of my teachers for helping me,” Dawson said. “Also, my parents and my little brothers have helped as well. I’m really honored to be representing Mount Vernon. There’s pressure because I’m only the second person to do this, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent Mount Vernon in the spelling bee.”