Local Grade 7 student prepares to compete against best spellers in the world

A Grade 7 Waterloo student is off to Washington, D.C. for a prestigious spelling competition as one of only three Canadians.

Eleanor Jeavons, from MacGregor Senior Public School in Waterloo, will face off against hundreds of other students from around the world at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Jeavons won the chance to compete after getting the first place prize at Waterloo region’s inaugural Scripps Spelling Bee at Bingemans in February.

Regional spelling champ Eleanor Jeavons speaks to CTV News on Feb. 11, 2023 after claiming the Waterloo region trophy. (Dave Pettitt/CTV Kitchener)

Jeavons said her friends are excited for her to compete.

“They think I’m some famous celebrity. And that I’m going to give them all autographs. They think I’m going to win,” Jeavons told CTV News on Thursday.

Jeavons said while she’s looking forward to it, she doesn’t want to get ahead of herself.

“I am one out of 231. But so is everybody else. So I have just as much of a chance as they do. So I’m just going to think about that and just have fun,” Jeavons said.

Helping her prepare for the big competition is her language teacher who calls Jeavons an inspiration. He said he knew she had what it takes when she competed in the school’s spelling bee earlier this year.

“Eleanor stood out as someone who really prepped for the competition. She was very methodical. She was very composed,” said her teacher, Sanj Sathiyamoorthy.

Jeavons said she’s always had that competitive spirit in her but she knew she wanted an extra-curricular activity that was more mentally challenging than physically.

“The reason I don’t like sports is because it involves moving. And I don’t really like moving. So I would say if you don’t like doing sports, then spelling bees don’t involve moving,” suggested Jeavons.

Jeavons hopes to inspire other students to try out spelling competitions.

A pro tip from the spelling bee queen herself? Take your time and stay humble.

“Spelling isn’t a talent. It is a skill. It’s just as easy to master as anything else,” she said.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off next week with a grand prize of $50,000. But win or lose Jeavons, said she's already looking ahead to the future.

“I really want to publish a book because I love writing. And I think spelling will help a lot with that,” Jeavons said.