Jefferson County Spelling Bee - 2017
February 07, 2017
On Monday, students from five schools in Jefferson County gathered at Tri County Public Schools to put their spelling skills to the test in the 2017 Jefferson County Spelling Bee.
The schools included in the bee were Diller-Odell, Fairbury, Meridian, St. Paul’s Lutheran in Plymouth and Tri County. Sandra Stelling, who conducted the spelling bee, believes that this is a beneficial event for the students.
“I think it’s very important for the kids to do this,” said Stelling. “The kids need to know how to spell. Just because we have spell check on our cell phones doesn’t mean they don’t need to know how to spell. Anytime they can do something like this, it provides educational growth. It’s a great experience.”
Stelling, who also served as the Jefferson County Clerk, conducted the annual spelling bee for 28 years before retiring. She returned this year to run the spelling bee with the help of a number of volunteers.
The contest was split into different grade levels. The fifth and sixth graders spelled for 13 rounds before a winner was declared. The seventh and eighth graders spelled for 15 rounds, ending in a head to head competition for first place. Here are the results from the spelling bee:
Fifth and Sixth Graders
First Place: Payton Smidt-Tri County
Second Place: Coen Hummel-St. Paul’s Lutheran
Third Place: Kailyn Paul-Meridian
Fourth Place: Anissa Gonzales-Meridian
Fifth Place: Kaylee Pribyl-Meridian
Sixth Place: Jazmin Dike-Tri County
Seventh Place: Salvador Chavez-Jefferson Intermediate
Eighth Place: Caleb Kosmos-St. Paul’s Lutheran
Ninth Place: Jonah Schwab-St. Paul’s Lutheran
Tenth Place: Emma Sullivan-Tri County
Seventh and Eightth Graders
First Place: Natalie Hueske-St. Paul’s Lutheran
Second Place: Brynn Novotny-Fairbury
Third Place: Keely Schramm-Fairbury
Fourth Place: Caleb Trimm-Fairbury
Fifth Place: Lance Henry-Meridian
Sixth Place: Alissa York-Fairbury
Seventh Place: Kellen Gegg-Diller-Odell
Eighth Place: Erica Moser-Fairbury
Ninth Place: Korey Theye-Diller-Odell
Tenth Place: Brynn Holtmeier-Meridian
