The Last Bee Standing

Sixth grade student Levi Goodwin became the last bee standing as he won 1st place in the Saratoga Elementary School Spelling Bee competition on January 19.

Goodwin competed against 45 other students. Each spelled words which were not easy but only the top five students were rewarded in the competition.

“I think I did pretty good, I practiced a little bit at home,” Goodwin said. “I would practice at home and practice when I was told to or just did it on my own when I was not told to practice. I would do this at least six times a week”.

Goodwin said there were times in the spelling bee contest when he thought he misspelled and grit his teeth, but found he got the word correct. He said the competition was tough but is ready for the next level

“On a scale of 1-10 I would say that this competition was a seven as far as it being challenging,” Goodwin said. “My next goal is to make it to the top five and compete in the state spelling bee championship.”

The top five students will be eligible to move on to the state spelling bee competition at Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs on March 15 and 16. The other top 4 students that competed against Goodwin were: 2nd place Averie Sanchez (6th grade), 3rd place Kooper Hull (6th grade), and a 5th place tie between two siblings Denali Williams (5th Grade) & Bring Williams (6th Grade).

“We take spellers up from 2nd grade up to 8th grade,” aid Valerie Larscheid, who is the spelling bee coordinator at Saratoga Elementary School. “This year we had 47 spellers and the students competed in 22 rounds”.

Larsheild explained the importance of the spelling bee and the impact it gives students. She said it’s a great skill for students and helps them improve in their academics.

“I think it is important because not all kids can excel in sports,” Larscheid said. “This helps give students something different to do. “I work with readers at Saratoga Elementary school and I am interested in spelling. I also competed in spelling bees as a student so I think it is an important skill to have.”