Top District Spellers To Advance to Regionals

Champions and runners up of the district spelling bee at St. Ignace Middle School February 7 are (back row, from left) Hailey Bean of Mackinac Island, Molly Paquin of St. Ignace, Lori Luepnitz of St. Ignace, Jeffery Dishaw of Engadine; (front) Michaela O'Rourke of St. Ignace, Margo Brown of St. Ignace, Adrienne Rilenge of Mackinac Island, and Brittany Flatt of Engadine. They will face competitors from other Eastern Upper Peninsula School districts in a regional bee February 21.

Top spellers from four middle schools gathered for a district spelling bee at the St. Ignace Middle School Thursday, February 7, and two students from each grade emerged the victors, winning the right to compete in a regional bee February 21. Students participating were from grades five through eight at St. Ignace Area Schools, Moran Township School, Mackinac Island Public School, and Engadine Consolidated Schools.

Winners of the district bee, followed by runners up, in each grade are listed here:

Grade 8: Lori Luepnitz (St. Ignace), Jeffery Dishaw (Engadine)

Grade 7: Molly Paquin (St. Ignace), Hailey Bean (Mackinac Island)

Grade 6: Adrienne Rilenge (Mackinac Island), Brittany Flatt (Engadine)

Grade 5: Margo Brown (St. Ignace), Michaela O'Rourke (St. Ignace)

Other spelling bee participants, who had bested competitors at their grade level in their own school to enter the district bee, were:

St. Ignace: Kelsey Closs, Wyatt Orm, Jacob Sjogren, Andrew Sjogren.

Moran Township: Lynette Colegrove, Michaela Cope, Jagger McFarlane, Galloway Thurston, Clayton Knutsen, Zachary Phillips, Dallas McLennan, James Cryderman.

Mackinac Island: Anthony Rickley, Dillon Deloof, Paul Wandrie, Meadow Greenlee, Kyra Kolatski.

Engadine: Joshua Townley, Dylan Formolo, Kyle Spencer, Daniel Hartwig, Samantha Bennett, Lyndsey Bell.

Parents, grandparents, and other family members were invited to watch the competition.

Cookies and punch were served at a reception for spellers and guests in the school cafeteria afterwards.