C.J. Hooker Middle School student wins Orange County Regional Spelling Bee

After 17 rounds of competition and a final written test, Luke Hand of C.J. Hooker Middle School (Goshen Central School District) became the 2026 Orange County Regional Spelling Bee champion. Hand will represent Orange County at the National Spelling Bee.

The regional bee, held March 10 at the Axelrod Education Center on the OUB Amy Bull Crist Campus in Goshen, came to an end after two eighth-grade competitors - Hand and Rex Heymer of Warwick Valley Middle School - ended in a draw. In accordance with Scripps National Spelling Bee rules, the evening’s competition concluded without a winner. It was announced that a written test would determine the contest.

Luke secured the win by correctly spelling 44 out of 50 words on a proctored tie-breaker written test, which was administered on March 20.

Heymer was awarded the second-place title and Nicole Santiago, a seventh-grade student from Heritage Middle School (Newburgh Enlarged City School District), earned third place in the competition.

Hand, Heymer, and Santiago will receive custom engraved plaques provided by the Orange County School Boards Association with additional awards sponsored by the Community Foundation of Orange, Sullivan, and Rockland. The Orange County Regional Spelling Bee is co-sponsored by Orange-Ulster BOCES, the Orange County School Boards Association, and the Community Foundation of Orange, Sullivan and Rockland.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational event, bringing together top student spellers from across the United States and around the world. More than 10 million students compete in their hometown bees each fall. In February and March, school champions compete in Regional Qualifiers and Regional Competitions, and those winners advance to the National Spelling Bee, which will be held May 26-28 in the Washington, D.C. area.