Gr. 4 students from Toronto won the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee at KPL

High school students from across Waterloo Region and beyond gathered at the Kitchener Public Library on Sunday afternoon for the 2024 ECU Scripps Regional Spelling Bee.

Arshan Shahriar, a Grade 4 student at Selwyn Elementary School in Toronto, was named the champion after successfully spelling the winning word “hijab”.

In addition to a six-night, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the Scripps National Spelling Bee this May, ECU – a chapter of WFCU Credit Union (“ECU”) awarded Arshan a $200 educational scholarship.

With 16 finalists competing in this year's Bee, including three from Cambridge schools, Sunday's event marked the second year the regional bee has been held in Waterloo Region.

CTV Windsor featured Jim Crichton as producer of The Bee.

It was organized by sponsor ECU – a division of WFCU Credit Union.

It was a close and tightly contested 15 round Round of the Champion's Speech where Arshan successfully delivered his final speech to become the youngest champion the event has ever seen.

This spring in Washington, Arshan will compete with hundreds of students from around the world.

“Empowering young people with opportunities to grow and develop is an important part of our mission and our commitment to the communities we serve,” Eddie Francis, president and CEO of WFCU Credit Union, said in a news release.

“We are proud to sponsor the ECU Scripps Regional Spelling Bee in Waterloo Region to promote learning and healthy competition in a fun and interactive way. Congratulations to Arshan and his family. We love you this May!”

The Regional Spelling Bee promotes literacy and language arts in an engaging way. It also aligns with the credit union's mission to support organizations and individuals who contribute to community well-being, with a focus on youth, education and health, the release said.

In addition to flight and lodging during the event and a $200 educational scholarship on behalf of ECU – A
A division of WFCU Credit Union, Arshan has also won the following:

• The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award is a 2023 United States Proof of Money Collection presented by Jay Sugarman, Chairman and CEO of iStar Financial, in honor of his father.
• Britannica Online Premium is a one-year subscription to the main online resource of Encyclopedia Britannica.
• Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online is a one-year subscription to the official word source for all levels of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.