Mischa Abad, a 5th grader from Somerset Academy's Stephanie Campus, is the winner of this year's Nevada State Spelling Bee.
40 spellers from 11 counties competed across the Silver State competed for the top prize at Bishop Gorman High School on March 17. This is the first year 5th graders have been allowed to compete.
The field was narrowed down to three spellers after ten rounds, with only Mischa, Aarron Mangio (7th grade, St. Anne Catholic School), and Sebastian Mehrzad (8th grade, Somerset Academy - Stephanie Campus) remaining.
After six additional rounds, Mischa won by correctly spelling "cambio," followed by the championship word, "palmette."
Aarron correctly spelled "theomachy" in the spell-off for second place.
Mischa will represent Nevada in Washington, D.C. in the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the end of May.
