LIHUE — Twenty students representing schools from around the island participated in the 2026 Kauai Complex Area Spelling Bee at the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School cafeteria Friday night, continuing the tradition of welcoming Super Bowl weekend.
Kauai Complex Area District Education Specialist Sean Doi said if we know next year’s Super Bowl date, we’ll know next year’s Kauai District Spelling Bee.
Makenzie Abalos, an eighth-grade student from Kapaa Middle School, withstood 15 rounds of spelling before handling the word “syringe” in Round 16 to claim the bee’s championship trophy, as well as a trip to Honolulu to participate in the state spelling bee scheduled for later this spring.
The bee’s pronouncer, Jan TenBruggencate, offered the field of 20 spellers two rounds where individual spellers could intentionally misspell words, including their names, to get used to the dreaded “ding!” from the panel of judges. Judged included resource teachers Michael Depoe, Leslie Labuguen and Darlene Muraoka.
Round 1 was perfect with no casualties as spellers filled two rows atop the cafeteria’s stage.
Round 2 claimed six spellers who became victims of “rummage,” “steeple,” “verdict,” “mosque,” “etcetera” and “courier.”
“The words appeared to be easy,” Abalos said. “I didn’t study the list much. The hardest word I had was ‘neaten,’ but that’s because I wasn’t listening to the pronouncer that well. I’m going to have to study now.”
More than a dozen spellers were whittled from the original 20 spellers, and Round 8 had victims of “affiliate” and “pinnacle.”
By Round 10, there were three spellers battling. Candidate 15, Ethan Irimata of Hawaii Technical Academy, used the back of his candidate identifying placard to scribe out his assigned word and progress.
“Opalite” claimed Eleele Elementary School fifth-grader Madeline Youn, in Round 11, leaving Abalos and Irimata to battle until Round 15 when Irimata stumbled on “perceptive.”
Abalos correctly went through “cryptic” and “syringe” to claim the bee.
Participating spellers in the Kauai Complex Area Spelling Bee — which meant they earned their position by winning their respective class and school bees — include Isla Smith (grade 5) and Cian Duffy (gr. 7) of Alaka‘i O Kauai Public Charter School; Francesca Dasalla-Astero (gr. 6) and Kourtney Lopez-Duffy (gr. 7) of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School; Jhayrmiyah Yoshimoto (gr. 5) and Madeleine Young (gr. 5) of Eleele Elementary School; Lael Koopman (gr. 4) and Evy Penhallurick (gr. 5) of Hanalei Elementary School; Canon Jung (gr. 6) and Ethan Irimata (gr. 8) of Hawaii Technology Academy; Matarangi Kitashima (gr. 4) and Emma Benton (gr. 5) of Kapaa Elementary School; Makenzie Abalos (gr. 8) and Khloe Coviello (gr. 8) of Kapaa Middle School; Kailana Butay (gr. 4) and Amaya Pinder (gr. 5) of Kekaha Elementary School; Elijah Igne (gr. 4) and Cameron Kaneshiro (gr. 4) of Koloa Elementary School; Anthony Riola (gr. 6) and Irie Abalos (gr. 8) of St. Theresa School.
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