Eight Top Spellers Will Advance to Regionals After CCSS Districts in Pickford

The Consolidated Community Schools Services District Spelling Bee was Friday, February 1, in Pickford and finalists included fifth grade students (from left) Laci LeBlanc of Brimley in second place and Alyssa McCord of Pickford in first place. Finalists will move on to the regional bee in St. Ignace Thursday, February 21.

Pickford Elementary hosted the top spellers from four middle schools for the Consolidated Community School Services (CCSS) district spelling bee Friday, February 1. The top two winners from each grade will compete in a regional spelling bee February 21. Students participating were from grades five through eight at DeTour Village Area Schools, Les Cheneaux Community Schools in Cedarville, Brimley Area Schools, and Pickford Schools.

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

Grade 8: Kelsey Bland (Brimley), Robin Waybrant (Brimley) Grade 7: Phillip Coullard (Pickford), Devin Livingston (DeTour) Grade 6: Nicole Bouwma (DeTour), Jonathon McBain (Pickford)

Grade 5: Alyssa McCord (Pickford), Laci LaBlanc (Brimley)

The Consolidated Community Schools Services District Spelling Bee was Friday, February 1, in Pickford, and finalists included sixth grade students (from left) Jonathon McBain of Pickford in second place and Nicole Bouwma of Drummond Island in first place; and eighth grade students Kelsey Bland of Brimley in first place, and Robyn Waybrant of Brimley in second place. (Photographs by Kate Ter Haar, CCSS)

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

DeTour: Michael Bailey, Hannah Aldridge, Hannah Reed, Becca Ross, Julie Reed, Logan Pardee.

Cedarville: Dylan Mathews, Brett Masuga, Samuel Eberts, Cole Diehl, Jenni Strait, Tucker Haske, Dillion Currie, Brittany Smith.

Brimley: Gannon Jahnke, Jonah Mills, Marianne Keim, Vanessa Leapley, Alex Mahanna.

Pickford: Kyle Radle, Joe Picote, Amanda Hunter, Lacey Nettleton, Richard Schell.

The seventh grade finalists were (from left) Devon Livingston of DeTour in second place, and Phillip Coullard of Pickford in first place.