Turner wins Spelling Bee
Holton eighth-grade student Maggie Turner was named the champion of the Jackson County Spelling Bee on Saturday after successfully spelling the word “Des Moines.”
Turner went head-to-head with Holton sixth-grader Maggie Emert for several rounds navigating words such as “Darwinism,” “padre,” “covenant” and “feinted.”
Emert was named runner-up at the bee, which lasted 40 minutes.
Turner will compete at the Sunflower State Spelling Bee, which will be held on Saturday, March 26, at Newman University in Wichita. Emert will serve as the alternate if Turner is unable to attend.
The winner of that event will earn an all-expense paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. this summer.
A total of 12 students in fifth through eighth grade – representing Jackson Heights, Holton and Royal Valley schools – competed in the bee, which was held at the Royal Valley Middle School gym in Mayetta.
After the second round, six of the competitors incorrectly spelled their word. At the end of round four, Turner and Emert were the only students left in the competition.
In order to win the bee, a student had to correctly spell two words in a row. Turner spelled “repast” correctly before she was given her final word “Des Moines.”
“I knew how to spell it,” Turner said of her championship word.
Turner qualified for the Jackson County Spelling Bee last year, and she said that experience helped her win this year.
She is the daughter of Jocelyn and Scott Turner, and Emert is the daughter of Jennifer Emert.
Students who participated in Saturday’s bee included:
Jackson Heights USD 335: Rylan Montgomery (fifth grade), TJ Hustead (sixth grade), Madison McKinney (seventh grade) and Madison Lawson (eighth grade).
Holton USD 336: Riley Dallman (fifth grade), Maggie Emert (sixth grade), David Nunies (seventh grade) and Maggie Turner (eighth grade).
Royal Valley USD 337: Kelcee Kahle (fifth grade), Evangeline Decker (sixth grade), Kyson Leis (seventh grade) and Maggie Davis (eighth grade).
Curtis Becker, Holton Middle School teacher, served as pronouncer, and Shelly Bausch served as the coordinator of this year’s bee.
