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The courthouse in Thompson Falls was buzzing last Friday as students from around the county gathered to compete in the 35th Annual Sanders County Spelling Bee. First Security Bank and The Sanders County Ledger have both sponsored the spelling bee for the last 35 years. "We are very proud of this tradition," said Sanders County Ledger Publisher Annie Wooden. "The Ledger and First Security Bank have been the longest private sponsors for any spelling bee in the state."

With standing room only, friends and family members watched 16 spellers compete for first place. After spellers went through a practice round to familiarize themselves with the process, the spelling bee officially started. After the third round, the spelling bee was down to seven students and after the fourth round, the bee was down to the last two spellers.

Millie Holloway and Gavin Todd, both seventh graders from Trout Creek, competed for first place. Holloway's misspelling of the word "adjective" disqualified her from round nine, but her steadfastness in the competition earned her second place. Todd's correct spelling of the word "haphazard" took him to round 10, and the correct spelling of his challenge word "ceramics" won Todd first place in the Sanders County Spelling Bee. He will compete in the Treasure State Spelling Bee this weekend in Bozeman.

Jasmine Ortwein-Risch and Travis Hill from Thompson Falls were brought back into the spelling bee to compete for third place. After an intense 20 rounds, it was Hill who won third place with the correct spelling of the word "playlist" and the challenge word "knife."

The pronouncer for this year's spelling bee was former Sanders County Ledger owner Tom Eggensperger. "Tom owned the Ledger when the bee started and has been sponsoring since the beginning," Wooden said. "We wouldn't be here without him."

Sara Czerwinski has been the bee director for the last 10 years and served as one of the judges for this year's event. Other judges were Joanne Burk of First Security Bank and Karen Dwyer of Thompson Falls.

Both Wooden and Eggensperger said it was the most rounds they've seen spellers go through to compete for third place. "There were some tough words, but I think the spellers did a great job with them," Czerwinski said after the spelling bee.

Todd said he competed in the Sanders County Spelling Bee once before in 2020 when he was in fifth grade. When asked about the difficulty of the final round, Todd was confident in his spelling knowledge and didn't find round 10 to be too difficult. "I actually already know how to spell the word 'ceramics,'" he said.

The top three spellers all received trophies for their efforts, which were sponsored by the Ledger. First, second and third place winners also received a Barnes and Noble gift certificate from First Security Bank. "I'm not sure what book I will buy there," Todd said of the gift certificate he received. "But I am excited to use it."

Contestants in the spelling bee included:

Thompson Falls: Kaleb Susic, fourth grade; Travis Hill, sixth grade; Michael Koskela, seventh grade.

Plains: Miranda Dawson, fifth grade; Elisabeth Weedeman, sixth grade; Kira Barr, seventh grade.

Hot Springs: Samantha Hoffsteter, fifth grade.

Trout Creek: Kolter Marjerrison, sixth grade; Gavin Todd, seventh grade; Millie Holloway, seventh grade; Mason Ugalde-Narcia, eighth grade.

Noxon: Rachel Cooper, fifth grade; Jasmine Ortwein-Risch, sixth grade; April Keiscome, seventh grade; Jessy Hill, eighth grade.