CONCORD TOWNSHIP – Tia Geisler, a 7th-grader from Mentor Public Schools, beat out competitors from Ashtabula and Geauga counties to win a tri-county spelling bee held Friday, March 6, at the Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve in Concord Township.
This will not be Geisler’s first trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She first won that distinction in 2023 at 10 years old as a 4th-grader at Orchard Hollow Elementary School.
The bee lasted 15 rounds, with Sully Kreger, a 4th-grader from Gateway Elementary School in Conneaut, misspelling “flexitarian;” and Alanna Pliml, an 8th-grader from Cardinal Middle School in Middlefield, missing “depredation.”
Geisler went on to properly spell “centennial” in the final round and win the contest.
Regis Geisler, Tia’s father, said she has been dedicated and disciplined in preparing for the competition, putting in hours of practice.
“We added it up,” he said. “Over the last three years, probably close to 1,000 hours.”
Tia was, perhaps ironically, at a bit of a loss for words in summing up her feeling after winning, shrugging and simply saying “hungry.”
Tia Geisler will go on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Tuesday-Thursday, May 26-28, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
