For the last few decades, a Spelling Bee has been sponsored in Davis County by local businesses, such as the Davis County Clipper, and run by volunteers from the Rotary Club. They originally followed the National Scripps Spelling Bee Program where the lists were provided by Scripps and the winner received a trip to Washington, DC to participate in the National Bee. That only provided a prize for one person and the student would usually be eliminated in the written round and never make it onto the stage for the actual Bee. The decision was made to create our own local Program, where we created our own lists, could keep registration fees lower, and keep all the money collected to go straight to our top 3 spellers in the form of college scholarships. The Davis County Spelling Bee has grown to include up to 70 schools and has become a beloved and competitive event.

Scheduling venues for the Final and Semifinal Bees became more and more difficult, so in 2019 the decision was made to bring the Spelling Bee under the district umbrella, sponsored by the Humanities Director of the Teaching and Learning Department. Participation is optional for each of the Davis District Elementary and Junior High schools. Private and Charter schools are also welcome participants. 

Schools pay a $125 Registration fee to participate. A Word Study List is published in November. Schools decide how students qualify to participate in their schoolwide Bee held in January or February. They use the Study List words first, then additional Off-List words if needed. Each Elementary school sends their top 3 spellers to the North or South End Semifinal Bee held in March. The Final Bee, held in April, includes the Top 15 from each of the North and South End Bees and the top 3 spellers from each of the participating Junior High schools. Depending on registration collected, my529 scholarships are awarded:

• 1st place – Up to a $2,500.00

• 2nd place – Up to $1,500.00

• 3rd place – Up to $1,000.00. 

Congratulations to our Davis School District Spelling Bee 2024 winners! 

This annual contest is sponsored by the Educational Equity and Federal Programs Department of Davis School District.

• MLK Speech Contest Website