Students from Crawford, Morrow, Richland and Knox counties competed in Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center's annual county spelling bees, staged virtually on a Thursday morning. Organizers counted 106 participants in grades three through eight.
Galion City Schools seventh grader Arden McCoy won the Crawford/Morrow County bee, which ran 12 rounds, after correctly spelling amphibian. Evangeline Al-Mansur, a seventh grader at Cardington-Lincoln Local Schools, was runner-up.
In Knox County, Centerburg Local Schools seventh grader Remy Bishop claimed the title in 15 rounds with nocturnal. Willow Barnard, an eighth grader from Centerburg, finished second.
Richland County's champion was Felix Beeson, an eighth grader at Shelby Sacred Heart School, who won in 14 rounds by spelling expressionism. Charlie Yoakam, a seventh grader at Ontario Middle School, was runner-up.
Colleen Haynes, the spelling bee coordinator, linked participation to vocabulary growth, stronger reading and writing, a better grasp of language patterns, and gains in confidence, perseverance and public speaking. She said organizers were proud of every speller. The Mansfield News Journal sponsored the bees, and organizers thanked teachers, coaches, families and volunteers.
Top finishers from the Crawford/Morrow and Richland bees advance to the Mid-Ohio ESC Spelling Bee on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. Spectators are welcome.