Last updated on August 4th, 2023 at 05:37 pm

92nd Scripps National Spelling Bee: Cincinnati Sheridan Hennessy

The 2019 "Scripps National Spelling Bee" contest, conducted as the 92nd year of its program got successfully completed by crowning eight champions of the year on May 30, 2019.

The most competitive and prestigious worldwide three-day contest was held at the National Harbor, Maryland, USA which included around 565 spellers from all 50 US states and seven countries ranging from 7-15 years and of the grades from 1 to 8. Each winner received a $50,000 prize and a trophy. 

For 11 consecutive years, Indian Americans won the competition and this year as well they kept up with it.  Among the contestant, a pair of repeat high performers and a Scripps National Spelling Bee first-timer were the only three Ohioans, Cincinnati students.

The two greater Cincinnati students, Sebastian Castilla, 13, and Sheridan Hennessy, 13, made a bid for the final round of the Scripps Spelling Bee but got eliminated on finals.

Sheridan Hennessy: 13 aged teens?

Sheridan Hennessy is a seventh-grader, 13 aged teenagers who made her way up to the finals of the competitive contest "Scripps National Spelling Bee", showing her competitiveness and skill.

Hennessy however, was eliminated in the second finals round when she misspelled "Terebinthinate," starting the word "terra …".

Despite losing the finals, Hennessy got a consolation prize. Moreover, she got a shout out from one of the biggest entertainment stars in the world, Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

Furthermore, Miranda expressed her love for Sheridan Hennessy saying:

                “With a name as cool as Sheridan Hennessy, there’ll be a musical about you soon enough. Eat ‘em up!”

Hennessy, a student from "Walnut Hills High School", was also the WCPO/Ohio regional Bee winner in 2017. 

In addition to their vast knowledge of words, Castilla enjoys fencing, chess, and math. Hennessy embraces her love for words through writing and is currently working on two novels.

Hennessy says she made this year’s finals by studying an online list of words that appeared in prior spelling Bees and was also quizzed by her parents. 

Further, she added that her qualification for this year’s competition was through its RSV Bee program.