At 12:30 on Wednesday in the high school gym, dozens of elementary school students gathered to watch the twelve participants in the spelling bee compete.
Two champions attended from each grade, starting with third graders from the elementary school and ending with eighth grade junior high students.
The spellers gathered in front of three judges: Lauren Adams, the director of KUCB, Billie Joe Gehring, and Randy Shinn, the newest director of CVB. Karen Kresh, who runs the public library, acted as the pronouncer. Josh Good, the fifth grade teacher who organized the bee, started the event by reading off the list of rules to the competitors as the audience looked on.
The competition came down to a fierce battle between fifth grader Jacob Sevilla and eighth grader JR Go. Go emerged victorious, correctly spelling the word “frolicsome” in the championship round. He now has a chance to advance to the state spelling bee in Anchorage on March 22nd.