Ulverstone Campus News

Student in the Spotlight 

Charlotte Edwards is the Apple Isle’s first ever national champion after winning the Red level of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee competition.

The 13-year-old, a student at Ulverstone’s Leighland Christian School on the blustery shores of Bass Strait, scored 27/30 in 2:36.733 – the only 2026 finalist to score above 25/30 in the Years 7-8 high school category this year.

Charlotte said she was “speechless” when her mum Anna told her the good news.  “It’s still sinking in, I think – it doesn’t feel real yet,” Charlotte said. “I keep expecting someone to tell me they made a mistake.”

Charlotte had only competed in the PM’s Spelling Bee once before in 2022 and didn’t make it past the first round.  “I was surprised that I made it through to the state finals, but completely shocked to find that I had progressed to the national final,” she said.  “I really like the format and that it is online. I feel that it’s easier to focus on the words with headphones on and it’s much easier to spell in writing than out loud.”

Charlotte said she felt nervous and excited to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and was looking forward to seeing Parliament House for the first time.  “I think I might ask if he can spell ‘pusillanimous’ because it was truly the hardest word I came across in the whole competition,” she said. “I looked it up after the final round and it means ‘to show a lack of courage’, which is probably how I will feel meeting him!”.