NORTH WEBSTER – In 2011, the battle for the Kosciusko County Spelling Bee came down to two Milford School students.
Winning after 20 rounds with the word “geothermal” was then-sixth-grader Hannah Haines. Runner-up and alternate was then-eighth-grader Catherine Yankosky.
This year’s competition will feature students from 19 county schools.
The 2012 Kosciusko County Spelling Bee starts Tuesday at North Webster Elementary School with fifth- and sixth-grades, with the middle school students competing Jan. 26.
Competition starts at 6:30 p.m. both days.
After the seventh- and eighth-graders finish their match, there will be a “spell-off” between the two local grade division winners to determine the overall Kosciusko County champion.
The local champion will advance to the 58th annual regional Journal Gazette Spelling Bee, scheduled for March 17, at the Auer Auditorium in the IPFW Rhinehart Music Center in Fort Wayne.
Participants for the 2012 Kosciusko County Spelling Bee include, fifth-graders: Billy Gillman, Akron Elementary; Caleb VanLue, Syracuse Elementary; Evan Wolferman, North Webster Elementary; Hannah Jansma, Mentone Elementary; Josh Reynaud, Pierceton Elementary; Katey Walls, Leesburg Elementary; Miriam Hagg, Madison Elementary; sixth-graders: Aaron Bartman, Wawasee Middle School; Brandon Chan, Sacred Heart; Brianna Pitts, Warsaw Christian; Claire Hubner, Lincoln Elementary; Kyle Haywood, Washington Elementary; Morgan Coon, Milford School; Nathan Freeman, Jefferson Elementary; Roger Fitzpatrick, Harrison Elementary; Sierra Clement, Claypool Elementary; seventh-graders: Dylan Grubbs, Edgewood Middle School; Evan Krueger, Milford School; Riley Weitzel, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School; and eighth-grader Elizabeth Brown, Lakeview Middle School.
The winners of the two local grade division bees also will each receive a $2,500 Richard R. Long Scholarship. The scholarship is given in recognition of Long’s many years of service to the children, teachers and parents of North Webster School and in honor of his work for the International Palace of Sports, now known as the Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation.
The Shoop Foundation funds the spelling bee scholarships to help provide future higher education for the spelling bee winners.
Kosciusko REMC sponsors the local competition with additional support for the regional spelling bee provided by IPFW and the area Touchstone Energy Electric Cooperatives, according to a press release provided by REMC.
Kosciusko REMC is a Touchstone Energy® electric cooperative serving more than 17,000 members throughout Kosciusko County and into surrounding counties.
Kristine Woodard, North Webster Elementary School principal, is the local spelling bee coordinator. North Webster Elementary School is at 5745 N. CR 750E, North Webster.
