The Connecticut Spelling Bee named this year's champion on Saturday, beating out 41 other students from across the state, according to a spokesperson for the competition.
Twelve-year-old Janelle Newell won the competition by spelling the word "spencerian" correctly, the spokesperson said.
Newell is currently in the seventh grade and attends the Multicultural Magnet School in Bridgeport.
Newell was awarded a $1,000 scholarship and an all expenses paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Harbor Park, Maryland on May 29, where she will represent the state of Connecticut, according to the spokesperson.
The competition featured students in fourth through eighth grade.
The event was hosted by the University of Saint Joseph and co-sponsored by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society and the Hartford Courant.
