We decided to share this article with readers of BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean. The Nassau Guardian published this article by Nasia Colebrooke on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Nasia Colebrooke
Guardian Lifestyles Reporter
nasia@nasguard.com
Bahamas National Spelling Bee champion [BNSB], Caerwyn Turnquest, and runner-up Felix Wells, are readying themselves for the 101st Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. The duo will be among 247 spelling bee champions vying for the Scripps Cup at the end of the month.
Caerwyn, 10, has been practicing a minimum of two hours a day in preparation to represent The Bahamas at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., May 26-28.
“I’ve been practicing at minimum two hours a day, every day. I’m supposed to have Saturdays off, but my mom [Beverley Turnquest] doesn’t let me,” said Caerwyn. He engages in spell-offs with his mom, and also studies Greek and Latin roots.
The sixth-grade King’s College School student also studies with two coaches Lynn Gibson and Demetria Rolle, three times a week, for two hours.
“My coaches also told me to study Arabic and Nahuatl words [indigenous language of Mexico spoken by the Aztecs]. I also study with the head of English [at my school] Ms. [Abi] Atkinson and I joined her club, Word Wizards.”
Felix, 13, an eighth-grade student at N.G.M. Major High School on Long Island, said his strategy heading into Scripps is “simply to focus”, and he has been focusing on vocabulary words and languages of origin.
“I have been practicing daily with my coaches and independently. If I get a word wrong during my practice session, I [refer to] Merriam-Webster to see the definition.”
Caerwyn also started a word journal and had teachers and his peers give him words to spell, and if he spelt it incorrectly, or was not familiar with the word, he wrote it in his journal. He filled four journals.
The 10-year-old said he also attempted to study every word of the dictionary.
“It’s pretty unrealistic, considering that ‘A’ and ‘S’ have, like 120 pages and each page is, like, 300 words. But I’m doing the small ones, like ‘X’, ‘Q’ and ‘V’ — so I know if I ever get those words, then I know I’ve seen them before. I plan to do a few smaller ones, like ‘J’ and ‘K’, but it won’t get too big, so I won’t get too stressed.”
Caerwyn said he has also received preparation tips from 2025 BNSB champion Aarav Balani, ahead of Scripps.
“He told me to make sure I know all the definitions, ask for all the information before spelling a word, and to just enjoy Bee Week.”
Caerwyn said he is excited to represent The Bahamas and wants to win.
Caerwyn and Felix said it would mean a lot to them if they placed in the top three.
“My goal is just to try my best. Ranking in the top three would mean a lot for me,” said Caerwyn.
“My strategy is to take my time and focus. I’m looking forward to doing well,” said Felix.
The best showing by a Bahamian representative at the Scripps National Spelling Bee was Roy Seligman in 2021. Roy was the first Bahamian to advance to the finals of the prestigious competition since The Bahamas began competing at Scripps in 1998.
The Lyford Cay International School student, who was a four-time national champion, wrapped his Scripps eligibility in a three-way tie for fourth place. Roy was also presented with the Bee Ambassador Award from Scripps in 2022 for being a good ambassador and embodying all the concepts of a typical speller.
Caerwyn said he is also excited for the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. Bee Week is a week-long experience for spellers and their families that includes special events, educational workshops, excursions into Washington, D.C. and more.
Scripps will be broadcast on ION Television. The preliminaries will air on Tuesday, May 26; the quarterfinals and semi-finals air on Wednesday, May 27; and the finals on Thursday, May 28.
The Scripps winner takes home a $50,000 cash prize, a commemorative medal, and the Scripps Cup. Merriam-Webster tacks on a $2,500 cash prize and a reference library.
Scripps is open to all students who have not passed the eighth grade and turned 15 years old. Ineligible candidates also include students who have won the Scripps National Spelling Bee previously.
Scripps started in 1925 to promote literacy across the United States (U.S.) when nine newspapers joined together to host a spelling bee. Only nine spellers participated in that first competition.
Frank Neuhauser was 11 years old when he won the first bee. He was also the first male winner. He won a stack of gold coins worth $500 and a visit with U.S. President Calvin Coolidge.
The first female champion was Pauline Bell (1926).
Jody-Anne Maxwell, from Jamaica, became the first Black winner and first non-American bee champion in 1998. Zaila Avant-garde became the first Black American winner in 2021.
The youngest competitor was Edith Fuller, who was six years old in 2017.
In 2019, eight co-winners were dubbed the “Octochamps” and hold the Guinness World Record for “Most winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee (single competition).”
Competitors from Texas comprise the winningest state with 16. It is also the only double-digit state. The next winningest state is Ohio with nine.
The longest word was “scherenschnitte” (2015); the shortest word was “luge” (1984).
The longest one-day competition took place in 1957. The 30th Scripps National Spelling Bee started at 9 a.m. and lasted until 6:55 p.m. – almost 10 hours. Dana Bennett, 13, from Denver, and Sandra Owen, 14, from Navarre, Ohio, were declared co-champions after the word list was exhausted. Both failed to spell the final word: “schappe”.
Competition rules now state that a spell-off is used in the interest of time.
There have been four years when a spelling bee was canceled – 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; 1945 because of World War II; 1944 because of World War II; and 1943 because of World War II.