The Rhode Island State Spelling Bee took place at Lincoln Middle School on Saturday morning with 20 spellers from grades 4-8 across the state. This was the first in-person event since the pandemic. Kim Kalunian, a news anchor, served as the official pronouncer. Penelope Sargeant, an eighth-grader at St. Margaret School in East Providence, won the competition by correctly spelling “telegnosis” and “interpellate.” She will now represent Rhode Island at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this spring.