SOUTH BRISTOL, Maine — Teachers and authors — and a few parents — always say a love of books can take children on great adventures.
For Amelia Rice, her love of books will take her to Washington, D.C., in May, as Maine's champion speller.
Rice won the annual Maine spelling bee Saturday in Portland, competing for the state title for the second year.
Amelia and her parents all said the spelling prowess comes from her devotion to reading.
"I read so many words, and I see so many words that even if I've never heard them pronounced before, I still know how to spell them," Amelia said.
She won the Lincoln County spelling bee in 2021 and came in 5th in the state competition. This year, she again won Lincoln County and took on the state, too.
Her parents and younger sister Helen watched as other spellers missed their words while Amelia got them right.
"I knew all of them except for one, and it had an alternate pronunciation," she explained.
And as the competition fell away, sister Helen said she got excited.
"And it pretty soon was down to two people, and I was, like, 'She could do this.'"
Up came the championship word: Venue. And her parents were confident.
"When they said this is your championship word, and they threw it out there, we thought, 'I think she knows this," Susan Rice, her mother, said.
"I had just said four days before, don't count her out because she has a composure about her," Amelia's father, Adam Rice, said.
Amelia knew the word, spelled it, and won.
"I was just kind of in shock. Unbelievable, really," the 13-year-old said.
And if the family was excited, Amelia's school and town were and still are.
She lives in the small town of South Bristol, which has one of the smallest public schools in Maine — just 74 students in grades Pre-K-8. The sign in front of the school proclaims, "Congratulations, Amelia, Maine Spelling Champ."
Helen says Amelia's win is a big deal for all of them.
"It's so exciting for our school and community and for her to be representing our school."
Inside the school, Amelia's English teacher and spelling coach, Kayla Wright, admitted the Saturday competition was tense.
"Every time she approached the podium, I was holding my breath the entire time. Then I would exhale when she spelled the word correctly," Wright said.
Wright added she has provided word lists and coached Amelia on her spelling but praised her innate dedication to learning.
"It's really impressive, and she is extraordinary in her passion for it. From the beginning, it's been guiding her to success, absolutely, and that's Amelia," Wright said.
Amelia's parents said they read to their daughter a great deal when she was young and encouraged her to read, but Amelia's passion for words and reading is amazing.
"It's really special to think that she took that ability to be reading like crazy since childhood on her own," Susan Rice said.
"I've watched her read 400 pages a week, [which] is commonplace around here," Adam Rice said. "You almost can't keep track of the books she's reading."
Amelia and the family know the words will be more challenging at the national spelling bee. She will be studying and reading. And she'll be hearing the cheers of her small town all the way to Washington.
"Every community needs that. They need that right spot to get excited about it," Adam Rice said.
For this year, Amelia Rice is providing it.
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