C. J. Hooker Middle School hosted its annual Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 12, 2026. Seventh- and eighth-grade students earned their place in the competition by achieving top scores in their classroom rounds. After eight exciting rounds, eighth grader Luke Hand and seventh grader James Donnelly were crowned champions. Luke clinched the win with the word compunction, while James secured his title with crematorium.
Both students will go on to represent the district at the Orange-Ulster BOCES Spelling Bee next month.
In the winners’ photo, James is pictured on the left and Luke on the right.
The students featured in the group photo are:
Ava Costescu
Abigail Thampi
Zen Gillett
Aria Singh
Daniela Garcia
Jonluke Lumezi
James Donnelly
Joseph Paoli
Daniel Nunez
Luca Ranaudo
Remi Pedrosa
Fatima Barry
Gabe Byers
Gavin Dobbs
Nick Ruiz
Emma Springer
Jackson Thurtle
Luke Hand
Jackson Pagliocca
Cecilia Boesch
Layla Smith
Gadiel Sanchezcastellanos
Shawn Verma
