NORWICH – Norwich Middle School (NMS) seventh grader Leona Tyler was declared the 2019 NMS Spelling Bee Champion on Thursday, January 17.

Leona won the spelling bee held in the Norwich High School Library following an intense competition involving 18 other participants.

It’s the second year in a row Leona won the spelling bee, this year by successfully spelling the word “diminutive” in Round 8.

Leona will now represent the middle school at a regional spelling bee in March in an effort to win a bid to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May.

— Grady Thompson, Sun Staff Writer