After six rounds of competition, including a spell-off round, Lynn Camp’s Dylan Wells will soon represent Knox County at the Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee.
Wells earned the title of grand champion after successfully spelling the word “linguistics” in the final round. In rounds prior, Wells correctly spelled “clearance”, “memorize”, “vitamin” and “severe” as he advanced in the event. He is a middle school student at Lynn Camp.
A sixth round was held following Wells being declared champion to determine the runner-up and third place winner. Laura Beth Mills, a student at Knox County Middle, and Sienna Mills, student at G.R. Hampton Elementary, tied in the sixth round prior to Wells correctly spelling “linguistics”. For the spell-off round, Mills correctly spelled “immune” to break the tie and earn the title of runner-up.
The county Bee was held on Wednesday, February 24, and represented elementary and middle schools throughout Knox County including Barbourville Independent Schools. Twenty two (22) students competed in the event following school-level spelling bees.
Participating in this year’s Knox County Spelling Bee were:
| School Name | First Place School Winner | Second Place School Runner-Up |
| Barbourville Elem | Gavin Gibbs | April Roark |
| Barbourville Middle | Paige Smith | Miranda Vaughn |
| Central Elem | Amelia J. Napier | Terry D. Jones |
| Dewitt | Jonathan Ethan Brown | Martina Mills |
| Flat Lick | Caylan Mills | Cory Partin |
| Girdler | Logan Callihan | Riley Smith |
| GR Hampton | Cody Mills | Sienna Mills |
| Jesse D Lay | Blake Ledford | Jaden Taylor |
| Knox County Middle | Laura Beth Mills | Jerod Smith |
| Lynn Camp Elem | Presley Bunch | Abigail Disney |
| Lynn Camp Middle | Dylan Wells | Haley Partin |
The county Bee is hosted annually by the Knox County Public Schools with local businesses helping to sponsor award prizes for the participants and winners. This year’s sponsors included Knox County Farm Bureau, Barbourville Junior Woman’s Study Club, L&N Federal Credit Union, and Forcht Bank.
This year’s Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee is set for Saturday, March 5, at Bomhard Theater within the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville.
Photos from the 2016 Knox County Spelling Bee are available for viewing and download from the KCPS Photo Gallery. Video from the event will be posted online following the state Bee due to copyright restrictions.
