Twenty-two Knox County students have an extra assignment to study for this week as they advance to the Knox County Spelling Bee set for Tuesday, February 19.
With open dictionaries, study guides, and online websites fueling their knowledge of words, the students know that the competition will increase as they face competitors from across Knox County. The students earned their spot at the county bee having competed in school-level Bee’s earlier this year.
All elementary and middle schools will be represented, including Barbourville Independent, as the twenty-two spell their way towards the title of top speller in Knox County. The next stop for Knox County’s winner will be the Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee to be held prior to the Derby this spring.
“This is one of our favorite academic competitions,” shared coordinator Frank Shelton. “You can look in their eyes and see the determination and the slight body movement showing that they are first spelling the word out in their mind before responding.”
The Bee will take place at the Board of Education’s Annex building (199 Daniel Boone Drive) beginning at 10 a.m. Students will begin to register at 9:45 a.m. Due to limited space, the district is asking that there be no more than two family members per participant. The event will be available for watching online following the conclusion of the Derby Bee. Photographs will be available online and printed for participants.
This year’s participants include:
| Barbourville Elementary School | Reece Corey | Riley Corey |
| Barbourville Middle School | Samuel Moore | Ryker Jordan |
| Central Elementary | Jayden Valentine | Kaila Whitehead |
| Dewitt Elementary | Shyann Bargo | Trace Jordan |
| Flat Lick Elementary | Erica Foster | Grace Kennedy |
| G.R Hampton Elementary | Jace Baker | Danni Beth Jordan |
| Girdler Elementary | Alyvia Merida | Samuel Zachary Gross |
| Jesse D. Lay Elementary | Lola Belle Mills | Dashaun Sejour |
| Knox County Middle School | Kymberleigh Eversole | Hannah Stewart |
| Lynn Camp Schools | Austin Partin | Brady Farris |
| Lynn Camp Schools | Kaitlyn Golden | Shanna Lewis |