16 school spelling bee champs compete for district honors Thursday

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“Contestant number seven, please spell the word ‘gizzard.’”

“Could you use that in a sentence, please? What is the language of its origin?”

If you want to witness some spelling bee champs vying for a spot at the county spelling bee, head to Desert Wind Middle School on Thursday morning at 10 a.m.

Two students from each of the six elementary schools and two middle schools in the district will compete at the district level.  These students, in fourth through eighth grades, are the winners of spelling bees at their respective school sites:

Butterfield Elementary Winners:  Taylor Weeks, Marquell David
Maricopa Elementary Winners:  Jaden Roman, Tyler Curtis
Pima Butte Elementary Winners:  Christopher Espiritu, Ean Lake
Saddleback Elementary Winners:  Kelleigh Hogan, Gillian Kennedy
Santa Cruz Elementary Winners:  Nicole Silvestre, Janaa Manning
Santa Rosa Elementary Winners:  Ethian Freye, John Spencer
Desert Wind Middle School Winners:  Nick Kelly, Delano Jackson
Maricopa Wells Middle School Winners:  Kaitlyn Durand, Santos Reyna

According to MUSD District Spelling Bee Coordinator Kathi Stewart, “Trophies for winning the school bees will be presented on Thursday. One winner will receive a championship trophy while the others will receive participant ribbons.”

A winner and two alternates from the district bee will advance to the Pinal County Spelling Bee, which is scheduled for Feb. 20. In the event the district winner cannot participate in the county bee, the runner up or alternate will take his or her place.

Legacy Traditional School will also hold its district spelling bee Thursday from 8:30-10 a.m. in the Maricopa campus school library.

If you go:

What: Maricopa Unified District Spelling Bee
Where: Desert Wind Middle School, 35565 W. Honeycutt Rd.
When: Thursday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m.

File photo