The Purdy Spelling Bee was held on Jan. 26. Nine contestants from grades 4-6 competed. The winner was Paul Bawithawng, a fourth-grader. The runner up was Solomon Thang, also a fourth-grader. The winner spelled “multitude’ and then “journey” to win the competition. It was a very competitive match with over 100 words used during the entirety of the Spelling Bee. Bawithawng will compete at Thomas Jefferson Independent School in Joplin at the Joplin Globe Spelling Bee on March 11. Contestants included, from left: Fourth-graders Chelsea Reynolds, Paul Bawithawng and Solomon Thang; fifth-graders Axel Tello, Emily Henderson and Alejandro Rivera; and sixth-graders Josy Meh, Braeden Leahy and Dawt Sung. Contributed photo
