McAllen ISD 5th grade student competing in Scripps National Spelling Bee
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The top student-spellers from around the country are in Washington D.C. taking part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
On that national stage, there is one McAllen ISD 5th grader who is representing the Valley.
Eleven-year-old Jie Laboriante is a student at Reynaldo G Garza Elementary School. Jie is one of 234 spellers who earned their spots as national competitors and the only student from the Valley in the spelling bee.
She made it past the preliminary round on Tuesday and is moving on to the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Jie says she's excited and a little nervous, but is ready to take the national stage.
"It took a lot of hard work and dedication," said Jie."We prepare in many ways, we prepare orally, we prepare with pencil and paper, and we prepare using a dictionary."
Jie won the McAllen ISD district spelling bee and went on to win the regional bee which qualified her for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. If Jie passes the quarterfinals, she will move on to compete in the semifinals.
The finals for the spelling bee are on Thursday. For the first time since 2019, the Scripps National Spelling Bee is back to being fully in person.
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