MANSFIELD – Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center held its annual county spelling bees for Crawford, Morrow, Richland and Knox counties last week in a spirited virtual contest that brought together 106 young spellers in grades 3 to 8 from across the four counties.
“Participation in a spelling bee helps students build vocabulary, strengthen reading and writing skills and improve their understanding of language patterns,” said Colleen Haynes, spelling bee coordinator. “It also promotes confidence, perseverance and public speaking skills.
“We are so proud of all of the student spellers.”
The spellers from the Crawford/Morrow County Spelling Bee survived 12 challenging rounds before 7th grader Arden McCoy from Galion City School District was crowned the champion of the bee.
To earn the title, Arden spelled the championship word, “amphibian,” correctly. Seventh grader Evangeline Al-Mansur from Cardington-Lincoln Local Schools finished as runner up.
After 15 rounds in the Knox County Spelling Bee, speller Remy Bishop, a 7th grader from Centerburg Local Schools, earned the championship title by spelling the word “nocturnal.” Willow Barnard, an 8th grader from Centerburg, earned runner-up honors.
From Richland County, Felix Beeson, an 8th grader from Shelby Sacred Heart School, took the championship title after 14 rounds by spelling the word “expressionism.” Charlie Yoakam, a 7th grader from Ontario Middle School was the runner-up.
Organizers extend heartfelt thanks to the Mansfield News Journal for sponsoring the event. Their support helped make the virtual bee possible. Appreciation also goes to all teachers, coaches, families and volunteers who supported the spellers and helped run the event.
Crawford/Morrow Counties Champion: Arden McCoy, 7th Grade, Galion City Schools.
Crawford /Morrow Counties Runner-Up: Evangeline Al-Mansur, 7th Grade, Cardington-Lincoln Local Schools.
Knox County Champion: Remy Bishop, 7th Grade, Centerburg Local Schools.
Knox County Runner-Up: Willow Barnard, 8th Grade, Centerburg Local Schools.
Richland County Champion: Felix Beeson, 8th Grade, Shelby Sacred Heart School.
Richland County Runner-Up: Charlie Yoakam, 7th Grade, Ontario Local Schools.
The Mid-Ohio ESC spelling bee season includes the Crawford/Morrow County Virtual Spelling Bee, the Richland County Virtual Spelling Bee, the Knox County Spelling Bee and the newly named Mid-Ohio ESC Spelling Bee.
Top performers from the Crawford/Morrow County Spelling Bee and Richland County Spelling Bee will advance to the Mid-Ohio ESC Spelling Bee on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. Spectators are invited and encouraged to attend.