A total of 135 words were spelled before a champion was crowned at the Eureka USD 389 District Spelling Bee, with the final 34 words coming down to a tense duel between the top two student spellers.
The bee was opened with 31 participants and narrowed to its final two by the eighth round: Eureka Junior/Senior High School eighth-grader Frances Baxter and Marshall Elementary sixth-grader Tad Gulick. From there, the competition intensified as the pair combined to spell five proven words before a winner emerged.
Baxter ultimately claimed the district title, correctly spelling a lengthy series of words, including shortcut, acrobat, fragments, fluently, grimace, ebony, imitation, spectators, ramshackle, skewer, winsome, atrium, hippies, convulsively, asphalt, and talcum to conclude the bee.
Following the crowning of the champion, a spell-off was required to determine the remaining qualifying spots for the Greenwood County Spelling Bee. Three students were eliminated in the fourth round, leaving only two advancement positions available beyond the top finishers.
Students advancing to the Greenwood County Spelling Bee from Eureka USD 389 are pictured below from left to right: front row, Baxter, Gulick and Autumn Ryan; and back row, Kolby Van-Pool, Donovan Owings, Bryson Gilbert, and Tanner Wade.
Other participants in the district bee included Liam Dunn, Owen Combs, Brylee Perry, Levi Crumrine, Tatum Boor, Haidyn Evenson, Amelia Shepherd, Jesse Travis, Audrey Wallace, Hunter Michael, Nyky Ovalle, Athena Musgrove, Preston Milner, Natalie McCabe, Bronwyn Hall, Casen Wamsher, Marinus Jonck, Charlie Lindamood, Abel Brodie, Jace Daily, Cooper McElroy, Riia Vinson, Ike Whitehead, and Wayne McElroy. Tucker Damron also qualified for the bee but was unable to attend.
The Greenwood County Spelling Bee is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m., and will be held at Marshall Elementary School in Eureka.
