The Shawnee Mission School District hosted the 2019 Johnson County Spelling Bee, bringing together 75 of the top spellers in the area.
Spelling bee participants were competing for a spot in the Sunflower Spelling Bee, which will be held in Wichita in March.
Rebecca Xue, a seventh-grader from Lakewood Middle School took home the championship trophy and will compete in the state bee. She correctly spelled the word “umbilical” in the final round of competition.
Krrish Madduru from Pleasant Ridge Middle School is the runner up and state bee alternate. Ishya Bhavsar from Briarwood Elementary in Shawnee Mission was the third-place speller in the competition. Theodore Ohly also was a competitor in the championship round.
Here is a list of Shawnee Mission competitors in the County Spelling Bee:
Evelyn Holmes, Belinder Elementary
Kathryn O’Shea, Bluejacket-Flint
Ishya Bhavsar, Briarwood Elementary
Anson Wang, Broken Arrow Elementary
Julia Jermann Brookwood Elementary
Nathan Mestel, Christa McAuliffe Elementary
Mira McInnes, Corinth Elementary
Hattie Duff, Crestview Elementary
Isabella Pilapil-Hagen, East Antioch Elementary
Mason Meyer, Highlands Elementary
Sophia McCraney, Hocker Grove Middle School
Anna Wurst, Indian Hills Middle School
Riley Martin, Indian Woods Middle School
Simon Moon, John Diemer Elementary
Meena Taher, Merriam Park Elementary
Isabel Stewart, Mill Creek Elementary
Logan Drennon, Prairie Elementary
Easton Volk, Ray Marsh Elementary
Lily Weber, Rhein Benninghoven Elementary
Subheksha Khanal, Rising Star Elementary
Brennen Piela, Roesland Elementary
Wyatt Moon, Rushton Elementary
Haven Bauman, Santa Fe Trail Elementary
Theodore Ohly, Trailridge Middle School
Sophia Lyman, Westridge Middle School
The Johnson County Bee was hosted through the support of the Shawnee Mission School District Curriculum and Instruction Department, with Darcy Swan, coordinator of curriculum and instruction, serving as Spelling Bee Coordinator. Dr. Leigh Anne Neal, assistant superintendent of Early Childhood and Strategic Engagement, serving as spelling bee pronouncer.