Whoo! Cheers and claps filled the auditorium at Patrick M. Villano School for fifth-grader Jeremiah Mathew. He won the schoolwide Spelling Bee in January. This week, he is off to Bergen Community College to compete in the regional spelling contest.
“To prepare for the regional bee, I’ve been focusing on reviewing the official word list, which Mrs. [Kristy] Friedman and Mrs. [Breanne] De Carlo provided, and paying close attention to common spelling patterns and tricky words, and that itself is quite a lot of words,” Mathew said.
Friedman and DeCarlo organized the schoolwide Spelling Bee. Mathew credits his mom and dad for helping him prepare.
“We’re helping him by giving timely reminders to practice and reviewing the word list and the tough words. We started setting aside short, focused practice sessions, making them as easy as possible. It’s been great seeing his vocabulary grow as he prepares for that day!” Mathew’s parents said.
“My parents and I have also watched spelling bee videos to get an idea of the approach and make sure I feel confident and prepared,” Mathew added.
If Mathew wins the regional bee, he’ll be one step closer to the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee. That takes place May 26 to May 28 in Washington, D.C. with students from around the country.
“I’m feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness,” Mathew said. “It’s an important event for me, because I get to represent our school, Villano. That’s a lot of pressure, but I’m also excited to see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned along the way.”
“We’re really proud of how far he’s come! From the class bee to winning the school bee, his progress has been amazing. It’s an opportunity in life that God gave him, and we hope he can do his very best,” Mathew’s parent said.
