There was tension in the air on Wednesday night when 15 fifth-eighth grade Superior Central students gathered in front of their families to compete in Superior Central’s first spelling bee. This competition served as the first step for these students on their journey to the U.P. Spelling Bee that will be held in early March. After 12 rounds of words, seventh grader Aiyana Taskey was named the overall champion with the correct spelling of “affirmative” and the championship word of “marina”.

The top two students in each grade will advance to the regional competition, with the third place finisher serving as an alternate. Winners for each grade were: 5th grade: Joy Brown, Jacelyn Denman & Harry McDougall 6th Grade: Liza Helminen, Harper Frusti & Gisela Schultz 7th grade Aiyana Taskey, Levi Kempainen & Summer Neveu 8th Grade – Aidan Korpi