The 44th annual Carroll, Jo Daviess, and Stephenson County Regional Spelling Bee on Feb. 10 at Highland Community College brought together 23 talented student spellers from grades four through eight representing 12 school districts across the region.

Coordinated by the Regional Office of Education No. 8, the event featured top students who earned first- or second-place honors in their local school spelling bees.

After 14 competitive rounds, Grant Karberg, a seventh-grade student from Galena USD 120, was crowned the 2026 Regional Spelling Bee Champion. Joseph Pasch, a seventh-grade student representing Eastland CUSD 308, earned the title of first runner-up following an outstanding performance throughout the evening.

Karberg secured the championship by correctly spelling “untenable” followed by the championship word “aspish” to claim the regional title.

Karberg will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., where he will represent the region among the nation’s top young spellers.

All participants will receive a commemorative Regional Spelling Bee T-shirt courtesy of the Regional Office of Education No. 8 in recognition of their hard work and dedication.