Spelling Bee finalists (from left): Ellie DeCleene,Templeton; Nolan VanHaren, Templeton; Champion Owen Davies, Templeton; Peyton Tohulka, Templeton; and Elizabeth Boehm, Woodside.
Students in fifth through eighth grades competed Jan. 21 in the annual District Spelling Bee at Templeton Middle School. The “district” is a geographical area defined by CESA #1, which sponsors district and regional bees. Four Hamilton School District elementary schools, Templeton Middle School and Peace Lutheran Academy in Sussex constituted a district for the purpose of the spelling bee. Students who won classroom spelling bees vied for the honor of participating in the district event.
The champion speller was Owen Davies, an eighth-grader from Templeton Middle School. Finalists who will also advance to the regional bee were: Peyton Tohulka, Templeton grade 8; Ellie DeCleene, Templeton grade 7; Nolan VanHaren, Templeton grade 7; and Elizabeth Boehm, Woodside grade 5. In honor of their spelling achievement, the top five spellers received trophies.
Regional winners continue to the Wisconsin Spelling Bee, in hopes of qualifying for the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, held in Washington, D.C.
Students who competed in the District Spelling Bee were:
- Templeton – Miranda Simons, Autumn Walentoski, India Lock, Danielle Klitzka, Nolan VanHaren, Ellie DeCleene, Peyton Tohulka, Christian Hartwig, and Owen Davies;
- Marcy – Audrey Davies, Navdeep Singh, Hiranmayi Swaminathan, and Ava DeCleene;
- Maple – Keegan Wichman, Ava Lally, and Nickolas Giovan;
- Woodside – Maeve Schummer, Aden Myhre, Evan Bunker, Braden Anders, and Elizabeth Boehm;
- Lannon – Konstantine Petropoulos, and Emily Corbin; and
- Peace Lutheran – Rachel Frerking, Hannah Hardenbrook, Dane Peterson, and Tim Frerking.
The event was coordinated by Templeton teachers Tim Cunningham and Ashley Pfeifer.