The southeastern Ohio regional spelling bee took place on March 1 at Ohio University in Athens and, for Lawrence County, there is reason to be proud.

After the 13 spellers from seven counties faced off for multiple rounds, Joseph Keffer, 10, a fifth grader from Chesapeake Middle School, emerged as the champion for the event.

Keffer, who won the Lawrence County Spelling Bee in December 2024, will now go on to represent the region in the 100th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May.

Having a student go on to compete nationally is a rare occurrence and a hard-earned feat for the county.

But with Keffer’s win, the county can now say that it’s happened two years in a row.

Last year, Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, competed at the national level after winning the regional bee.

She placed second at the regional bee this year, and was second in the county bee.

We congratulate both Keffer and Dunlap for taking the top two spots at regional, which appears to be a first for Lawrence County, and we wish Keffer good luck as he continues studying and preparing for the big trip to the nation’s capital this spring.