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New Castle seventh-grader wins Delaware Regional Spelling Bee

Five students represent Cape schools in competition
The first-, second- and third-place winners of the 2026 Delaware Regional Spelling Bee hold up their trophies and checks after the competition at the Delaware Tech Terry Campus in Dover March 7. Standing in back are (l-r) Taylor Hawk of the Delaware State Education Association; Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Sharpley; and First State Educate Executive Director Julie Keleher. In front are third-place winner Brandon Zhang of North Star Elementary School, first-place winner Siara Husain of the Islamic Academy of Delaware and second-place winner Nathan Liang of Delaware Valley Classical School. ELLEN MCINTYRE PHOTOS
Ellen McIntyre
March 12, 2026

A hopeful group of more than 50 students from public, private and charter schools across Delaware, including five from Cape Henlopen School District, headed to Delaware Tech’s Terry Campus in Dover March 7, to compete in the Delaware Regional Spelling Bee for a chance to represent the state in the 101st annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May.

The bee, which was open to fourth- through eighth-graders, was hosted by Scripps’ regional partner First State Educate, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening school board governance and supporting public education in Delaware.

“In the room today is a shining example of what’s possible in Delaware,” FSE Executive Director Julia Keleher said. “There’s excellence everywhere in our schools.”

A total of 57 students registered for the bee, but only 52 competed. About 300 people, including the spellers, attended.

Siara Husain, a seventh-grader at the Islamic Academy of Delaware, reigned victorious, taking the first-place spot and earning an all-expenses-paid trip to nationals for the second year in a row.

It was down to her and Nathan Liang, a fifth-grader at Delaware Valley Classical School, in the eighth round. Husain correctly spelled mascarpone for the win, while Liang misspelled anaphylaxis, putting him in second.

Brandon Zhang, a fifth-grader at North Star Elementary School, placed third, beating out Brielle Sallas-Mensah of Providence Creek Academy Charter School and Kulma Atuguba of Red Lion Christian Academy.

The three winners received trophies and checks from First State Educate for $350, $250 and $150, sponsored by the YMCA, Audi Wilmington and the Rotary Club of Wilmington. The checks were presented by Taylor Hawk of the Delaware State Education Association and Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Sharpley.

Representing Cape were Rehoboth Elementary School fifth-grader Campbell Allen, Milton Elementary School fourth-grader Fiora Esposito, Mariner Middle School seventh-grader Molly Parks, Love Creek Elementary School fifth-grader Vivienne Thompson and Lewes Elementary School fifth-grader Senumi Ilandara Hawadige.

Esposito made it the furthest of the five and was among the final 12 spellers but was eliminated in the sixth round for misspelling heterophony.

Last year in the national competition, Husain tied for 100th out of 243. She’s looking forward to returning this year.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I know what to expect this time, so I think I might do better than I did last time.”

Speakers at this year’s regional event included Delaware Secretary of Education Cynthia “Cindy” Marten; Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Dover South; Sen. Dan Cruce, D-Wilmington; Rep. Kamela T. Smith, D-Bear; and Jasmyn Wright, a global educator, social advocate, and the founder and CEO of the Push Through Organization. Gov. Matt Meyer and Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay were unable to attend in person but submitted video remarks. 

Dr. Nadya Pincus, a linguistics and cognitive science professor at the University of Delaware, served as the pronouncer, and Blake Saunders was the emcee. Judges included the United Way of Delaware’s Amber Battle-Winston, 2025 Delaware Teacher of the Year Shelby Borst, the WRK Group’s Logan Herring, Laurel Public Library’s Stacy Lane, Del Tech’s Samanta Lopez, Spotlight Delaware’s Julia Merola, Dover Councilman Gerald Rocha and the Delaware Board of Education’s Jon Sheehan.

The Dover High School drumline kicked off the morning with a lively performance.

A raffle was held between rounds, with prizes including tickets to the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, and Delaware Children’s Museum, Delaware State Parks swag bags, gift cards to local businesses and more.

Also at the event, software developers Mohammed Naser and Jared Thacker, both alumni of upstate technical school Zip Code Wilmington, debuted their new spelling website and soon-to-be mobile app, Secretbee: http://secretbee.zipcode.rocks. The website allows anyone to have their own mini spelling bees at home or wherever they choose.

Naser and Thacker held a mini spelling bee between rounds for audience members. A certain Cape Gazette reporter placed first.

 

The first-, second- and third-place winners hold up their checks and stand by their trophies with the judges after the competition. In back are (l-r) pronouncer Nadya Pincus; judges Stacy Lane, Julia Merola, Jon Sheehan and Gerald Rocha; First State Educate Executive Director Julia Keleher; and judges Amber Battle-Winston, Shelby Borst, Logan Herring and Samanta Lopez. In front are Brandon Zhang, third place; Nathan Liang, second place; and Siara Husain, first place.
First-place winner Siara Husain, left, a seventh-grader from the Islamic Academy of Delaware, holds up a trophy that’s almost as tall as her as she is congratulated by (l-r) Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Sharpley, and Taylor Hawk of the Delaware State Education Association.
The Dover High School drumline, known as the Rolling Thunder, kicks off the morning.
Fiora Esposito, a fourth-grader at Milton Elementary School, makes it to the sixth round of the 2026 Delaware Regional Spelling Bee March 7 in Dover.
Campbell Allen, a fifth-grader at Rehoboth Elementary School, competes in the fourth round of the bee.
Molly Parks, a seventh-grader at Mariner Middle School, competes in the fourth round of the bee.
Senumi Ilandara Hawadige, a fifth-grader at Lewes Elementary School, spells a word.
Vivienne Thompson, a Love Creek Elementary School fifth-grader, competes in the bee.
The bee judges are recognized before the competition. Shown are (l-r) Gerald Rocha, Amber Battle-Winston, Shelby Borst, Logan Herring, Samanta Lopez, Stacy Lane, Julia Merola and Jon Sheehan. Nadya Pincus, the pronouncer, sits between Lopez and Lane.
Ahead of the bee, Delaware Secretary of Education Cynthia “Cindy” Marten, left, stands with Nathan Liang, a fifth-grader at Delaware Valley Classical School, who ended up placing second in the competition, after he correctly answered the longest word in the English language –pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. He didn’t spell the word, but there’s certainly a chance that he could. Coaty, the Delaware Blue Coats mascot, stands on the right.
North Star Elementary School fourth-grader Brandon Zhang, left, receives a check for $150 after placing third in the bee. Standing with him are (l-r) Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Sharpley, and Taylor Hawk of the Delaware State Education Association.
Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Dover South, makes remarks ahead of the bee.
Delaware Secretary of Education Cynthia “Cindy” Marten addresses the audience ahead of the bee.
First State Educate Executive Director Julia Keleher amps up the audience before the first round of the bee.
Delaware Blue Coats mascot Coaty offers the spellers some encouragement.
Blake Saunders, the emcee for the bee, addresses the spellers’ parents and family members in the audience.
Delaware Blue Coats mascot Coaty and Sen. Dan Cruce, D-Wilmington, hype up the audience ahead of the competition.
First-place winner Siara Husain, a seventh-grader at the Islamic Academy of Delaware, gets ready to spell mascarpone in the eighth and final round.
Milton Elementary School fourth-grader Fiora Esposito made it the furthest of the five Cape Henlopen School District spellers and was among the final 12 spellers but was eliminated in the sixth round for misspelling heterophony. SUBMITTED PHOTO

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Ellen McIntyre is a reporter covering education and all things Dewey Beach. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State - Schreyer Honors College in May 2024, then completed an internship writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2023, she covered the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as a freelancer for the Associated Press and saw her work published by outlets including The Washington Post and Fox Sports. Her variety of reporting experience covers crime and courts, investigations, politics and the arts. As a Hockessin, Delaware native, Ellen is happy to be back in her home state, though she enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She also loves live music, reading, hiking and spending time in nature.

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