Pulaski County Spelling Bee Champion Brianna Farmer (left) and runner-up Gracie Painter
Riverlawn Elementary School student Brianna Farmer outlasted her competition Wednesday as the school representatives from each elementary school and a champion from each grade at the middle school came together for the Pulaski County Spelling Bee Championship matchup.
“We are very proud of each student who showed up today to represent their school,” Superintendent of Pulaski County Public Schools said. “Pulaski County has large number of academically talented students and it was great to see so many of them excelling on the stage today.”
Each school held their own spelling bee to determine a champion and runner-up. Critzer Elementary was represented by champion Mashia Yates and runner-up Makeda Yates. Dublin Elementary was represented by champion Makenzie Coffey and runner-up Jovi Perdue. Pulaski Elementary was represented by champion Timothy Hutchinson and runner-up Kavan O’Reilly. Riverlawn Elementary was represented by champion Brianna Farmer and runner-up Landon Lorton. Snowville Elementary was represented by champion Shyna Mills and runner-up Lilly Cullip.
Pulaski County Middle School was represented by a champion and runner-up from each grade level. The sixth-grade champion is Jonathan Akers Jr. and the runner-up is Keilan Vaughan. The seventh-grade champion is Gracie Painter and the runner-up is Shjon Snyder. The eighth-grade champion is Ambria Armes and the runner-up is Caitlyn Easter.
When the spelling bee began, each student was given the chance to hear the word, hear the definition of that word, and, if requested, hear the word used in a sentence. After several rounds, the two remaining contestants were Brianna Farmer and Gracie Painter. Farmer correctly spelled her first word, but Painter misspelled hers. To win, Farmer needed to spell one final word correctly, which she accomplished to earn the championship.
“I am so proud of Brianna winning the spelling bee today,” Riverlawn Elementary School Principal Kim Sink said. “This is the first time Riverlawn has had a winner at the district level spelling bee."
Farmer is the daughter of James and Shannell Farmer of Dublin.
Photos from the spelling be can be seen our our PCPS Facebook page.