North Middle eighth grader Brian Liu received a hero’s welcome this morning as he returned from the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Brian arrived at school wearing his medals from the Bee, where he made it all the way to the Finals and tied for fourth place!

Brian’s classmates cheered as they lined the front walkway waving pom poms and holding signs with the challenging words he spelled correctly during his impressive run at this year’s Bee. News12 was on hand to capture the “buzz”!

This was the second time Brian represented Long Island at the National Spelling Bee. He first competed as a sixth grader in 2023, where he finished in 23rd place. Both years, his journey to the national stage started by winning the annual NMS Spelling Bee.

Congratulations, Brian!