66TH WASHINGTON CO. SPELLING BEE TUESDAY NIGHT
The best speller in Washington County will be named tonight (Tuesday) at the 66th Washington County Spelling Bee.
Twenty-four students from schools across the county will compete at Alton Elementary School beginning at 6 p.m. The winner of the spelling bee will move on to the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee in March.
No countywide spelling bee was held last year. Instead, each school named spelling bee champions who participated in an online spelling test to determine who would advance to the next round of competition.
KWHI has been a sponsor of the spelling bee since its inception in 1955, and has provided cash prizes to the top three spellers at the event each year.
The full list of participants in this year's spelling bee can be seen below:
Alton Elementary:
- Will Hefferly (parents are Andy and Abby Hefferly)
- Macy Holster (Sean and Mindy Holster)
- Carter Smith (Ronan and Alexis Smith)
- Alternate – Araceli Rodriguez-Gomez (Maria Gomez)
Brenham Elementary:
- Lukas Rodriguez (Megan Mikeska and Javier Rodriguez)
- Jayla Rios (Trenett McDonald)
- Donovan Arbelaez (Mike and Jessica Arbelaez)
- Alternate – Saniaya Washington (Amber Washington)
Krause Elementary:
- Callie Mitchell (Cassandra Desern)
- Kaden Vela (Jessica and Leo Vela)
- Kaylei Nelson (Kionta Nelson and Marion Jackson)
- Alternate – A’Zairah Cuellar (Tosha Cuellar)
Brenham Middle School:
- Corbin Brooks (William and Carol Brooks)
- Corbin Schluens (Amanda Schluens)
- Emma Galvan (Oscar and Lorena Galvan)
- Alternate – Gwen Westfield (Heath and Krystyna Westfield)
Brenham Junior High:
- Isabella Mahar (Shannon Mahar)
- Sadaf Shireen (Aamna Baig and Nizam Mohammed)
- Zakirah Anderson (Courtney and Jose Lizcano)
- Alternate – Marley Lonsert (Ashley and Ben Lonsert)
Burton Elementary:
- Scout Rhodes (Justin and Angela Rhodes)
- Levi Hirsch (Dale and Ashlee Young)
- Hadlee Reed (Vernon and Michelle Reed)
- Alternate – Bryce Baumbach (Rodney and Sanya Baumbach)
Citadel Christian School:
- Jessie McHargue (Andy and Katie McHargue)
- Braeden Brewster (Chris and Megan Brewster)
- Alex Vaz (Vik and Sheila Vaz)
- Alternate – Isabel Vaz (Vik and Sheila Vaz)
St Paul's Christian Day School:
- Bailey Rogers (Billy and Casey Rogers)
- Harrison Forbes (Paul and Mandy Forbes)
- Ava Pape (Ryan and Megan Pape)
- Alternate – Henry Jaks (Brian and Amy Jaks)
Master of Ceremonies: Sarah Cook
Word Caller: Christopher Young
Judges: Brandi Hendrix, Brenham ISD; Dr. Edna Kennedy, Burton ISD; Sheila Suders, Citadel Christian School
The public can attend the spelling bee in person or tune in to KWHI’s live broadcast starting at 6 p.m. on AM 1280, FM 101.7 and kwhi.com.