Quint Karlsson of Crofton Middle Schools stands with trophy as the winner of the 37th annual Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee

Quint Karlsson outlasted 26 other school level spellers on Saturday, March 8, 2025, to capture the title at the 37th annual Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee.

Quint correctly spelled the word "hierurgical" in the seventh round to win the championship for the second consecutive year. Gideon Smith of Marley Middle School and Adrian Allen of Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School finished second and third, respectively after an exciting "spell off" to complete the winner's circle.

Gideon Smith, secon place winnerAdrian Allen, third place winner

The Anne Arundel County Spelling Bee is presented annually by the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Office of Secondary Reading, English, & Integrated Literacy. This year’s presenting sponsors were Educational Systems Federal Credit Union. The event co-sponsors were Development Facilitators, Inc. (DFI), M&T Bank, and Horace Mann. This year’s event sponsors were National Teacher Association, Ricoh, and Whiting Turner.

Quint will represent Anne Arundel County at the 100th celebration of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May.

There were plenty of prizes for the county’s top spellers, including monetary awards from Educational Systems Federal Credit Union as well as reference books and gift items from various donors including: Park Books in Severna Park, Wegmans of Waugh Chapel, Anne Arundel Community College, Watermark Cruises, Mission Escape Waugh Chapel, SkateZone, Horizon Cinemas Glen Burnie, Compass Rose Theaters Annapolis, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.

Also competing in this year’s AACPS Countywide Spelling Bee were:

  • Benjamin (Ben) Luca, Annapolis Middle School

  • Gwendolyn Ray-Dulany, Arundel Middle School

  • Emma Lacey, Brooklyn Park Middle School

  • Sophia Paulenich, Central Middle School

  • Sarah Rosello, Chesapeake Bay Middle School

  • Justin Portillo-Rodriguez, Corkran Middle School

  • Isabel Doran , Homeschool

  • Nirvana Tiwarri, Indian Creek School

  • Bach Ngo, Lindale Middle School

  • Abdulai (AJ) Jalloh, MacArthur Middle School

  • Gianna Sorondo , Magothy River Middle School

  • Arman Muhammad, Meade Middle School

  • Charlotte Sampson, Monarch Global Academy

  • Oliver Jeffries, Northeast Middle School

  • Melina Tlemsani, Old Mill Middle School North

  • Dominion Ajayi, Old Mill Middle School South

  • Maggie Song, St. Martin's Lutheran School

  • Adrian Weisman, St. Paul’s Lutheran School

  • Jordan Erzen , School of the Incarnation

  • Ammon Harman, Severn River Middle School

  • Waters Kurek, Severn School

  • Victoria Akinremi, Severna Park Middle School

  • Kiara Shultz, Southern Middle School

  • Axel Portillo Rivera , Wiley H. Bates Middle School

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a not-for-profit educational promotion sponsored by The E.W. Scripps Company in conjunction with businesses and community organizations around the world. Each sponsor organizes a spelling bee program in its community with the cooperation of area school officials: private, charter, parochial, public, and home schools.