In 2008, Anna Bearss was the Kosciusko County Spelling Bee runner-up.
Thursday night, the Edgewood Middle School seventh-grader became the 2009 county champion.
After winning the seventh- and eighth-grade competition in nine rounds with the word "arsenal," Bearss, 13, faced Eisenhower Elementary's Loren Railsback, 12, for the county title. Railsback won the elementary school title Tuesday night against 14 other competitors.In the second round of the grand championship contest Thursday night, Railsback misspelled "homogeneous." Bearss then correctly spelled "cedilla" and took the victory with "foliate."
Bearrs now advances to The Journal Gazette Spelling Bee presented by Kosciusko REMC and other northeast Indiana Touchstone Energy® cooperatives. The regional bee is March 14 at Anthis Career Center, Fort Wayne. The winner of the regional bee will advance to the national Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Bearss is the daughter of Keith and Melissa Gunter. She said she's been practicing for this year's spelling bee for the past two to three months. Asked if she was excited about winning, Bearss said, "Very much so."
Bearss faced four other middle school students to make it to the county championship. One student went out in the first round, another in the fourth round and a third in the sixth round. That left Bearss and Elizabeth Shepherd, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School.
In the ninth round, Shepherd misspelled "participant." Bearss correctly spelled "elixir" and then "arsenal" for the win.
The middle school heat and county championship were held at Kosciusko REMC in the Touchstone Energy® Room, 370 S. CR 250E, Warsaw.
Doris Lemert, marketing and communication manager for Kosciusko REMC, presented every speller with a medal and Bearss with a trophy.
Richard R. Long presented Bearss with a scholarship. Champions in each grade level receive the Richard R. Long Scholarship for future higher education. The scholarship is for $2,500 for the fifth- and sixth-grade champion and the seventh- and eighth-grade champion. Railsback received his scholarship Tuesday night.
The middle school students participating in Thursday's seventh- and eighth-grade round were Bearss; Skyler Newsome, Lakeview; Emma Donahoe, Milford; Rowen Gingerich, Wawasee; and Shepherd.
Participants in Tuesday's spelling bee included Braxton Behny, Akron; Paige Conley, Mentone; David Yankosky, Milford; Madison Cooper, North Webster; Layne Davison, Pierceton; Madeline Birch, Syracuse; Ben Meulink, Warsaw Christian; Claire Haldewang, Sacred Heart; Diane Wack, Washington; Levi Hall, Madison; Daniel Messenger, Lincoln; Celia Heckert, Harrison; Railsback; Austin Trowbridge, Leesburg; and Jesse Boal, Jefferson.
For the second consecutive year, Kosciusko REMC is participating as a presenting sponsor for the local and regional bees.
Because of cost increases for bee participation for area schools, REMC wanted to make sure that the increased costs didn't stop anyone from participating. As part of REMC's cooperative commitment to education and serving the community, REMC opted to continue to fund this great educational event, both locally and at the regional level. REMC is doing this in conjunction with the other Touchstone Energy® electric cooperatives.
The co-ops have covered half of the registration expense for local schools to participate, and in Kosciusko County, KREMC also provides participation awards and trophies for all participants and champions.
Kosciusko REMC is a Touchstone Energy® electric cooperative serving more than 17,000 customers throughout Kosciusko County and into surrounding counties.
