Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
On Monday, Jan. 11, Lee Elementary School (LES) hosted the Madison County District Spelling Bee. Of 10 fourth grade contestants, two took home trophies. The winner of the fourth grade competition was Emmalin Ensminger of Pinetta Elementary School and the runner-up was Jeffrey Metacarpa, also from Pinetta Elementary School.
The second portion of the competition encompassed fifth through eighth grades and consisted of 22 contestants. The grand champion of the competition was eighth-grader Emma Thompson from Madison Creative Arts Academy, who took home a trophy, a plaque and a certificate. The runner-up was fifth-grader Bryan Contreras Hernandez of Lee Elementary School.
Emma Thompson will be participating in the First Coast Spelling Bee, which will include the grand champions from all counties across the State of Florida. Due to COVID concerns, the competition will be held over Zoom on the morning of Monday, March 29. The time is yet to be determined.
The judges were Lisa Roderick, Melinda Richie and Linton Hart. The pronouncer was Susanne Griffin, and the time keeper was Jennifer Stanley. The district spelling bee coordinator was Barbara Pettiford.