How many times have you tried to spell necessary in your head? Is it one or two ‘c’s? How many ‘s’s? Thankfully, William Weatherall knew the answer, and it’s taking him all the way to Sydney to compete against the state’s finest spellers. 

Coonabarabran Public School student William Weatherall is making his region proud as he lines up against the best spellers in the state after winning the regional final in the NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee. 

With just over a month to work on his words, William will compete at the State final of the NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee in Sydney in early November. 

Over 60 regionals finals took place online over the past fortnight, with 820 schools competing to show off their spelling skills. 

William said that despite heavy practice in the skill, it can always take you by surprise. 

“You are not always right in spelling, but can use strategies like sounding out in my head or remembering things like ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’,” he said. 

Nearly 1600 students competed in the online regional finals from a starting pool of 165,000 participating students with the most remote student from Bourke-Walgett School of Distance Education, who lives about four hours’ drive from Bourke. 

Despite taking the top spot, William isn’t letting himself get too confident before the State finals. 

“It was the luck of the draw with the words, some people got easier words and some got harder words. My winning word was ‘necessary’.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said it was exciting to see students across the State testing their spelling prowess. 

“I congratulate all the students who have participated in the regional finals – you have already won by making it this far and demonstrating your fabulous spelling skills,” Mr Perrottet said. 

Will with Mrs Evans. PHOTO SUPPLIED.

The Arts Unit Premier’s Spelling Bee Support Officer Desiree Lane said the move to online regionals finals had been well received, particularly in the bush. 

“We have had feedback from some of our more remote schools on how wonderful the new format is because it allows them to participate where previously long distances had made travelling to regional finals difficult,” Ms Lane said. 

Now in its 19th year, the Premier’s Spelling Bee was introduced in 2004 as a fun way for primary school students to engage in spelling. The program includes activities to encourage all students to improve their vocabulary and spelling and to promote literacy skills in combination with the English K-6 Syllabus. 

Junior division includes words such as embargo; cavalcade; notary; and scrupulous, while the senior division participants will wrangle words like besotted; expostulate; hereditary; and subservient. 

To compete at the State final a student must have won their school Spelling Bee, their zone and regionals final.