For added ‘posterity,’ St. Mary’s DeKalb student again wins regional spelling bee

SYCAMORE – By correctly defining the word “inoculate” during the championship round and by spelling “posterity” correctly the round before, a student from St. Mary School in DeKalb won the DeKalb County regional spelling bee for the second year in a row.

Max Foley, 11, will now go on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. this summer.

After his win Saturday night in the Sycamore High School auditorium, the DeKalb resident said he believes vocabulary rounds in the spelling bee are harder than spelling rounds.

“Sure, there’s a 50/50 chance you’re going to get it right,” Foley said. “But it’s still terrifying.”

Seventeen student winners, who won their respective district spelling bees, competed in the regional competition.

Jeff Smith, assistant superintendent for the DeKalb County Regional Office of Education, said it was the first time he could recall holding a regional spelling bee in the evening.

“So our ratings might be going up,” Smith told the audience with a chuckle. “This is prime time.”

Participants included students from DeKalb School District 428, Sycamore School District 427, Genoa-Kingston School District 424, Indian Creek School District 425, Hiawatha School District 426, Hinckley-Big Rock School District 429, Sandwich School District 430, and Somonauk School District 432, plus St. Mary School in DeKalb and St. Mary’s Catholic School in Sycamore.

The first runner-up for the bee, also for the second year in a row, was Bella Rocush, 12, who also is a student at St. Mary School. After Foley spelled “posterity” correctly, Rocush spelled “congeniality” incorrectly. Foley then won the spelling bee by correctly defining “inoculate.”

“They’re a spelling powerhouse, I’ll tell you,” Miles Foley, Max’s father, said with a chuckle of St. Mary in DeKalb.

Max Foley said he prepared for this year’s bee by drilling words at home with the help of his family. He said the previous year’s national spelling bee was held virtually, so he didn’t get to actually travel to Washington, D.C., although he appeared on the ESPN 3 network.

“It may seem like it’s awesome, but it’s actually terrifying,” Max Foley said.

“Knowing so many people you knew were watching,” said Stephanie Foley, finishing her son’s sentence.

Smith recalled having to proctor Foley’s side of the virtual national competition as part of protocol for the national spelling bee in 2021.

“I was in your dining room for at least three hours,” Smith said to Stephanie Foley, both chuckling.

Max Foley said he’s looking forward to traveling to the U.S. capital this time around. Plus, he said, he will get to visit with relatives he has in the Washington, D.C. area – and likely stay with them, too.

“Free real estate,” Max Foley said, while being met with laughter from his mom.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is scheduled to start June 2. According to Scripps officials, the event will air on ION and Bounce, available free and over-the-air to viewers, as well as on cable and streaming services.