One Rochester student among 5 from Minnesota competing in 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee

By KAALTV

Credit: Scripps National Spelling Bee

(ABC 6 News) – Five students representing Minnesota, including one from Rochester, will compete in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee which kicks off this week in Maryland.

The five representing Minnesota are below:

Roberto Villasboas

Hometown: Rochester
School: St. Francis of Assisi School
Favorite Sport: Soccer
Favorite Movie: National Treasure
Bio: Roberto is a 12-year-old sixth grader at St. Francis of Assisi School. He enjoys rock climbing, reading, playing percussion and programming. He also enjoys playing soccer and going on camp outs with his Boy Scout troop. In his free time, he enjoys cheering on Liverpool and playing video games. Roberto is very interested in world geography and can name the capital cities of most of the countries in the world.

Will Rausch

Hometown: Staples
School: Royalton Middle School
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite TV Show: SportsCenter
Bio: Will enjoys playing percussion in band and playing video games. He also enjoys playing sports with friends. He enjoys geography and recognizing countries and their flags.

Elijah Elledge

Hometown: North Mankato
School: Immanuel Lutheran School
Favorite Athlete: Kobe Bryant
Bio: Elijah has many hobbies, including playing the piano, bass guitar, saxophone and drums. He has played in several piano competitions and also plays instruments at his church. He studies Spanish and Latin. He enjoys watching and playing sports, especially basketball.

Vihaan Kapil

Hometown: Arden Hills
School: Agamim Classical Academy
Favorite School Subject: Science
Favorite Historical Figure: Albert Einstein
Bio: Vihaan’s hobbies include drawing and playing board games like chess. He also like to learn about different languages. Vihaan likes it when a new project comes up in his class, and he also likes to learn new words.

Maximus Katsoulis

Hometown: Fergus Falls
School: Blackduck Public School
Favorite Food: Burgers
Favorite Actor: Robert Downey, Jr.
Bio: Maximus describes himself as “a huge smark aleck who tries to be funny.” He likes to be secluded and watch YouTube and play games, but when he is around others, he is very loud and easy to get a laugh out of. His dream job is to become a streamer or YouTuber.

Villasboas was crowned the grand champion speller for southeast Minnesota in February at the Southeast Service Cooperative in Rochester.

The 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee takes place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The event is broadcast on ION-TV.

The semifinals are Wednesday, May 31 beginning at 7:00 p.m. followed by the finals on Thursday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m.