As part of its commitment to promote education and literacy in central Ohio, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Columbus Blue Jackets are proud to announce it is an official 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee regional partner, marking the first for an NHL team. The partnership allows local students and schools to participate in the 100th anniversary year of America’s longest-running educational competition. As the exclusive regional partner for central Ohio, the Blue Jackets will sponsor the regional spelling bee competition held at Nationwide Arena in spring 2025.
As the regional partner, and host venue, the NHL franchise will invite more than 900 schools within the 15-county territory to participate in the Regional Spelling Bee Competition. Schools will hold their own classroom or school spelling bees with each school’s champion qualifying for the Blue Jackets' online testing platform, which identifies the top 40 spellers. The 40 finalists are invited to the Blue Jackets’ Regional Spelling Bee held at Nationwide Arena with the winner being named the regional champion. The winner will represent the Columbus region at the National Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May, where they will have the opportunity to compete for the Scripps Cup.
The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion was Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old from Tampa, Florida, who won the coveted title after winning the competition’s second Spell-off with a record-setting 29 correctly spelled words.
This year marks the inaugural year for the Blue Jackets as an official Scripps National Spelling Bee regional partner.
“We know that spelling bees are a staple of elementary education as an essential tool for developing language skills, building confidence, and fostering a love for learning. Serving as the regional partner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee allows us the opportunity to continue prioritizing education and literacy among the children in our communities. We hope this partnership fosters an excitement and eagerness to expand vocabularies across Ohio,” said Blue Jackets Foundation Executive Director & Sr. Director of Community Development Andee Cochren.
By inspiring the exploration of words, the Scripps National Spelling Bee illuminates pathways to lifelong curiosity, celebrates academic achievement and enriches communities. Each year, the Bee reaches millions of students across the country and around the world with the classroom materials it provides schools enrolled in the yearlong program.
Participation in regional bees also provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in public speaking, develop confidence and inspire a love of learning and connection with their peers.
Schools in central Ohio are eligible to enroll in the 2024-2025 program now through Jan. 31. Educators can visit Spellingbee.com/enroll to learn more and enroll their schools in the program. To learn more about the 2025 Scripps Regional Spelling Bee at Nationwide Arena, visit BlueJackets.com/spellingbee.
