SMYRNA—The Archdiocese of Atlanta Office of Catholic Schools sponsored its annual Spelling Bee on Jan. 31 as a part of the Catholic Schools Week celebration. The competition was open to all winners of the archdiocesan elementary school level bees. Nineteen schools were represented by students ranging from grades four to eight.

The Archdiocesan Spelling Bee helps students improve their spelling skills, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop poise. The words are compiled from lists used in previous year’s District Bee, sponsored by the Georgia Association of Educators.

After 14 rounds of competition, eighth-grader Abel Yared, of St. Joseph School in Marietta, was declared the winner. The first runner-up was Ikenna Onwukeme, a seventh-grade student at Marist School, Atlanta, and the second runner-up was Ashleigh Clark, an eighth-grade student at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Atlanta.