Crestview eighth grader Caitlin Clonch, 14, holds the championship plaque she won at the Columbiana County Spelling Bee in March. Tuesday she’ll compete in the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., which can be seen live on Scripps Sports. Visit spellingbee.com to learn more. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON — Crestview eighth grader Caitlin Clonch said she’s looking forward to just soaking in the experience of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“I’m probably just going to wing it,” she said, admitting she hasn’t really studied.

The 2026 Columbiana County Spelling Bee Champion begins the national spelling competition Tuesday with the preliminaries, which can be seen live on Scripps Sports on spellingbee.com.

As number 173, she’ll likely take the stage between 11:10 a.m. and 12:40 p.m.

The preliminary consists first with the speller spelling a word. If successful, the speller is then asked a multiple choice vocabulary question. If a speller gets through those first two rounds, then those spellers move on to the round three test, which is worth 30 points spelling 24 words and answering six multiple-choice vocabulary questions.

Spellers who successfully pass through the three preliminary rounds then move on to the quarterfinals from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, aired live on Scripps Sports on spellingbee.com. The semifinals take place from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday on Ion. The finals air live from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday on Ion.

Caitlin is making the trip to represent the county with her mom, Cassandra, and her 13-year-old sister, Caleigh. Her brothers Cade, 10, and Colt, 9, were staying behind with dad, Christopher, who will cheer her on from home.

She’ll be among 247 spellers from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense Schools in Europe. Five countries outside the U.S. are also represented, including the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.

The competition will take place at DAR Constitution Hall, which is a national historic landmark building. Bee Week kicked off Sunday with registration and a meet and greet at the JW Marriott, Washington, D.C. and will include a number of activities throughout the week, including the Bee Week Bash.

Caitlin didn’t have any special outfit planned for the bee or any particular place she wanted to see.

“I’ve never been to D.C, I want to take it all in,” she said.

Her mom said she’s excited to see everything dealing with the country’s 250 years of America celebration. She’s also never been there and was looking forward to seeing the sights and the national bee. She expressed a lot of pride for Caitlin.

“I’m excited for her, so excited to be there for her and cheer her on,” Cassandra said.

Ironically, at the same time Caitlin is in D.C. for the bee, her classmates will be visiting D.C. for their eighth grade field trip.

Back home, Caitlin has quite the animal kingdom, from two ducks and a bunch of chickens to her dog, Tonka, a Anatolian shepherd, and Glunchette, a bold jumping spider her dad found and brought inside for her. Her pet spider dines on mealworms or crickets. In school, Caitlin sings in the choir and writes for the school newspaper, the Rebel Journal.

She’s into a lot of video games, like Splatoon, the various Mario games and Team Fortress II. She also likes to draw, with a lot of her subject matter game characters.

“I like to goof around in the wonderful world of microbiology,” Caitlin said, such as using her microscope and looking for tardigrade, micro-animals which feed on moss.

She and her mom offered thanks to the Morning Journal, Salem News and The Review for all the help in getting her to the bee. The three Columbiana County newspapers co-sponsor the county bee with the county Educational Service Center and sponsor the trip to D.C. for the winner to represent the county at the national bee.

She also thanked her teachers and everybody at the Crestview Middle School for all their help. She especially wanted to thank her social studies teacher from last year, Kathryn Davis, and her Life Skills teacher, Jill Hall.

She even got a congratulatory letter from the Ohio Auditor of State.

“I’m looking forward to the experience,” she said.

All spellers receive a price package that includes Bee souvenirs and an official certificate of participation, along with a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, a one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online Premium, a one-year subscription to News-O-Matic for her school and two one-day admission tickets to the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.

Quarterfinalists receive a commemorative pin and a $100 gift card. Semifinalists receive a commemorative medal and $500 gift card and the finalists receive a commemorative metal and cash dependent on their finish ranging from $2,000 to $25,000.

The champion receives a $50,000 cash prize, commemorative medal and the Scripps Cup, the official championship trophy of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Follow along with Caitlin at spellingbee.com.