Aaliyah Phelps, a fifth grader, won Pinnacle Classical Academy's grade 3-8 school spelling bee and will represent the school in the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee's North Carolina charter school bee competition.

Sam McDaniel, a seventh grader, finished in second place in a 90-minute bee that included grade-level champions Penelope Kelly (grade 3), Davis (Jude) Duncan (grade 4), Aaliyah Phelps (grade 5), Andy Garcia (grade 6), Sam McDaniel (grade 7), and Madison Snyder (grade 8).

"We are incredibly proud of Aaliyah, as well as the other students who won their classroom bees and grade-level bees," said Dr. Shelly Bullard, the school's headmaster. "We wish Aaliyah all the best in the state charter school round."

Pinnacle Classical Academy is a free public charter school (K-12, 1,077 students) located in Shelby, and the 31 seniors in the class of 2022 have already been offered a combined $2,272,720 in four-year scholarship awards. On March 14, the school will be holding its lottery for new K-12 students for August; lottery application forms are available online at pinnacleclassicalacademy.com.