La Porte ISD spelling bee crowns Sarah Williams champion; district reiterates appeals rules

La Porte Independent School District held its 2025 district spelling bee, and Sarah Williams was declared champion after correctly spelling "anthropology," organizers said.

The event, which La Porte ISD staff noted marks the 100th year of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, was run under a set of local rules read aloud by Alicia Upchurch, the district's executive director for school leadership. Upchurch told contestants and parents that "the Scripps National Spelling Bee has no authority over the conduct of local spelling bees" and that "decisions of local spelling bee officials are final." She also reviewed the contest's appeal protocol, including the written-appeal requirement and the suspension of that requirement when five or fewer spellers remain.

Upchurch said the judges — Jessica Rose, principal at Lomax Junior High; Karen Lawley, principal at La Porte Elementary; and Stephanie Davis, principal at Jenny Reid Elementary — are "in complete control of the competition, and their decision is final on all questions." Jason McConnell, principal at La Porte Junior High, served as the definitions-and-sentence reader during rounds. Other district staff who spoke or assisted included Miss Fowler (interventionist at La Porte Junior High), Miss Nance (interventionist at Lomax Junior High), Tammy King (principal at Bayshore Elementary) and Dr. Jackson (superintendent, present).

Competition details announced during the program show that six spellers remained at the start of round 5. After multiple elimination rounds and a final championship spelling, Sarah Williams — listed on the district roster as a speller from Rizzuto Elementary — spelled "anthropology" correctly and was announced as the champion. District staff named Dale Tameola as the second-place finisher and Abigail Nobles as a third-place finisher.

Upchurch also described how appeals are handled: a written appeal must be hand-delivered to the designated official (Upchurch), must state the speller's name and the word in question, and must be filed before the affected speller would have received the next word. She said that when five or fewer spellers remain, the written-appeal requirement is suspended and an oral appeal may be made under the same timing restriction.

Organizers reminded attendees of practical matters for contestants and families, including microphone positioning and where to find printed rules and appeals forms on the back counter. The district also held a brief practice round for contestants to familiarize themselves with the contest format and microphone placement.

The spelling bee's judges declared the champion in accordance with the announced procedures; no external review by the Scripps National Spelling Bee was described during the event.