Lake County Regional Office of Education crowns 2026 Regional Spelling Bee Champion

The Lake County Regional Office of Education recently crowned Aditi Mopur of Barrington Middle School — Prairie Campus as the champion of the 2026 Lake County Regional Spelling Bee. With the win, Aditi will advance to represent Lake County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

The Lake County spelling bee season began with 72 students from schools across the county, who first competed in three sectional spelling bees. The top spellers from those competitions advanced to the Lake County Regional Spelling Bee, where 12 finalists competed for the championship title.

After an intense 17 rounds of competition, Aditi secured the championship by correctly spelling the winning word, “sumi-e,” a Japanese ink painting style.

Ian Leong of Matthews Middle School in Wauconda finished as the runner-up after an outstanding performance throughout the evening’s competition.

“We are incredibly proud of all of the students who participated in this year’s spelling bee,” said the Lake County Regional Office of Education. “Advancing through multiple rounds of competition takes dedication, preparation and courage, and these students truly represented their schools and communities well.”

As the regional champion, Aditi will move on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where top spellers from across the United States and around the world compete on the national stage.

The Lake County Regional Office of Education congratulates all of this year’s participants and wishes Aditi the best of luck as she prepares to represent Lake County in Washington, D.C.