All the buzz: Monroe County students show off skills at spelling bee
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A group of students in Monroe County put their spelling skills to the test during an annual spelling bee.
The competition began with 14 of the top spellers from across Monroe County.
Several rounds later, there were three spellers remaining. But in the end, Hamilton 5th grader Willow Thompson took first place when she correctly spelled “altimeter”.
To prepare, each student was given a study guide with possible words. They were also encouraged to look over the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
The spelling bee has been going on for years. The coordinator of the bee, Candi Moore, said it teaches many valuable skills.
“Being a participant in the spelling bee allows them to help with spelling and spelling increases reading skills as well as writing,” said Moore.
“This contributed towards, sometimes when I write an essay for English, or trying to write something down for my notes,” said Landon Frembgen, second place winner.
“Builds confidence, and don’t let you be afraid of stuff,” said Luke Holman, third place winner.
“This helped me with crowds and all that, getting used to talking in front of people. And helps me with spelling because I do write on the side, learning different words,” said Thompson.
All the preparation and studying is not over for the top three, they advance to online semi-finals that take place at the end of January.
Winners in the semi-finals advance to the state spelling bee. That will take place in March in Columbus.
