Olivia Beland wins OLV spelling bee

Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School sixth-grader Olivia Beland recently won the OLV School Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. Samuel Dieguez-Marino, an OLV seventh-grader, finished second overall. 

The OLV School Spelling Bee lasted an hour and included words taken from the Latin, Arabic, Asian and French languages. Olivia correctly spelled the word “egalitarian,” meaning of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. This spelling was followed by the word “menu,” which ended up being the winning word. 

Winning the OLV School Spelling Bee qualified Olivia to compete in the Shelby County Bee, which was held at the Columbiana Board of Education on Jan. 23.