Twitter
Facebook
Under the leadership of President Lisa-Marie Hadeen and Vice President Kristen Smith, the European PTSA proudly hosted the 2025 DODEA Europe Regional Spelling Bee at Ramstein High School, March 15.
This year’s Bee brought together 23 talented spellers from grades 3 to 8, representing five countries — Bahrain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands — for an exciting day of academic excellence and spirited competition.
Special guest Dr. Howard-Barhaney, DODEA Director of Student Excellence, was in attendance to support and congratulate the students on their incredible achievements.
By Round 16, the competition narrowed to the Top 3 spellers — Max B. (Brussels Unit School), Jackson T. (Garmisch ES/MS), and William B. (Kaiserslautern MS) — with Jackson eliminated during that round. Round 17 featured a tense showdown between Max and William, where Max was eliminated, leaving William B. from Kaiserslautern Middle School as the last speller standing.
William clinched the championship in Round 18, correctly spelling the winning word “collegiality,” after enduring an impressive 17 full rounds of competition.
As the DODEA Europe Champion, William will travel to Washington, D.C., at the end of May to represent our region at the historic 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The success of this event was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of KLSA, Paola who performed the National anthem, Mr. Bade (Pronouncer), Kristen, Ashley and Kenley (Judges Team), the dedicated volunteers from the Ramstein High School student body (lead by Sophia EPTSA Student VP), RHS JROTC, and RHS Robotics Team, who not only supported the event but also provided delicious food and beverages as a fundraiser for their upcoming national competition in Texas this April.
