If Cleburne ISD had a spelling bee hall of fame, Irving Elementary fifth grader Lilliana Delgado would be among the honorees.

                Delgado entered Wednesday’s Area 24 Spelling Bee as the 2022 defending champion. As a leading competitor she finished in second place and will now serve as the Area 24 alternate to the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee.

                This was the third time Delgado has represented Irving Elementary at the Area contest as the school’s spelling bee champion. She won her first title as a second grader and was the youngest contestant at the Area spelling bee that year, matching her skills with eighth grade competitors.

                As a fourth grader in 2022, Delgado took it to the next level in winning the Area 24 spelling championship and represented Johnson County at the regional contest. As this year’s regional alternate, she plans to continue to study the spelling list—just in case.

                “Alternate means if something happens and the first-place winner can’t come to the contest, the alternate will spell in their place,” Delgado said. “I don’t think that will happen, but I’m going to keep studying.”

                As she began her final year of elementary school, Delgado set a goal to win the campus championship one more time.

                “I thought that I wanted to win the Irving spelling bee one more year—because this is my last year as a fifth grader,” she said. “I’m going to keep trying to compete in the spelling bee as long as I can-which would be when I’m in the eighth grade. I’d like to win at Area and go back to the regional spelling bee—and go even farther.”

                Delgado says her experiences and achievements as a competitive speller have given her confidence.

                “The first time in second grade, it was really hard,” she said. “When I came back in fourth grade I had more confidence. I still get very nervous and anxious coming to the Area contest. I enjoy spelling, but some words can be tricky, especially those from different languages, which can get me messed up and confused.”

                 While she enjoys reading, Lilliana says math is her favorite subject. Her math teacher, Taylor Morales, says the fifth grader is a go-getter and strives to show her best work in everything she does.

                “Lilli is a wonderful student who makes teaching fun because of how quick she is, and how intuitive she is,” Morales said. “She has spent her free time at school studying for the spelling bee and had her friends quizzing her as much as they could. It’s been a pleasure teaching her this year and watching her grow her skills so much. She is so personable and friendly—all her classmates are going to be thrilled for her doing so well.”

                Delgado has been in study mode since November, when she received the practice list to prepare for the school spelling bee. She is happy to stay in the groove for another few weeks—in her role and responsibility—as the regional alternate speller. The Scripps Regional Spelling Bee, hosted by the Texas Christian University College of Education, will take place on March 7.

                “In life, I may not use a lot of these words I’ve learned to spell,” she said. “But it’s still been important. I can accomplish more because I know them.”