The word is Bee.

The definition?

(1) Noun. A flying insect closely related to wasps and ants

(2) Noun. A community social gathering in order to perform some task or engage in a contest.

Used in a sentence?

The Washington Daily News will host the 26^th annual Downeast Regional Spelling Bee at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Turnage Theater.

Bringing together the 30 of the top elementary and middle school spellers from across Eastern North Carolina, the Downeast Regional Spelling Bee is sponsored by the WDN and Nutrien Aurora Phosphate.

“The students come from as far away as Nags Head and Cape Hatteras to as close as right here in our own county,” WDN Editor and Bee pronounce Vail Rumley said.

The grand prize winner will attend the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. for Bee Week this May. The winner will also receive a one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, a one-year subscription to Merriam Webster Unabridged Dictionary Online and $100 savings bond. The second place winner will receive a Merriam Webster Dictionary. First, second and third place participants will also receive a Walmart gift card.

Locally, representatives from Chocowinity Primary School, S.W. Snowden Elementary School, P.S. Jones Middle School and John Small Elementary School.

“It’s nice to see these kids who actually have an appreciation for spelling and the English language,” Rumley said. “Some of the things they can spell are pretty astonishing when we get into the later rounds.”

Rumley said the longest Bee she can remember lasted 3.5 hours and approximately 30 rounds.

Participants in the 2018 Downeast Regional Spelling Bee include:

Arapahoe Charter School, Savannah Belfance

Ayden Elementary School, Makenzie Carraway

Beaufort Middle School, Sam Cordier

Cape Hatteras Elementary School, Kirra Eseñat

Cape Hatteras Secondary School, Peyton Cabral

Christ Covenant School, Cassidy Fillingame

Chocowinity Primary School, Luke Bullock

Contentnea-Savannah School, Jeremius Hardy

Creekside Elementary School, Vincie Cash

East End Elementary School, Jaylen Purvis

First Flight Elementary School, Felix Yerk

First Flight Middle School, Anna Parsons

Fred A Anderson Elementary School, Moriah Phillips

Jamesville Elementary School, Mason Lytle

John Small School, Jaiden McCoy

Kitty Hawk Elementary School, Sam Sarbora

Lawrence Academy, Adrianna Geramita

Manteo Elementary School, William Reed

Mattamuskeet Elementary School, Jeffrey Bowling

Mattamuskeet Middle School, Joshua Reynolds

Morehead City Middle School, Ansley Jones

Nags Head Elementary School, Alayna Mooty

Oakwood School, Helayna Clark

PS Jones Middle School, Claire Stevens

Pamlico County Middle School, Noah Johnson

SW Snowden Elementary School, Isaiah Waldron

South Creek Middle School, Kinjaayla Boston

Unity Christian Academy, Alyssa Valdez

West Craven Middle School, Carson Lackey

Woodington Middle School, Cassidy Kennedy