Sanders Wins County Spelling Bee

On February 13, twenty-seven spellers from across Blaine County converged on Chinook High School's Lloyd Sweet Auditorium for the Blaine County Spelling Bee. After six rounds, Samson Sanders, an eighth grader at Chinook Junior High School (CJHS), was declared the champion, and Quin Billmayer, another CJHS eighth grader, had taken second place, designating her as the alternate.

Students from Chinook, Zurich, Harlem, Hays/Lodgepole, and Turner participated in Tuesday's competition. The Bee went six rounds after which two spellers were left standing: Billmayer and Sanders, who spelled the winning word, adversaria. With this win, Sanders will be competing in his second State Bee. Last year, he placed fourth at the State Spelling Bee.

When asked how he planned to prepare for his second showing, Sanders stated: "I have been busy memorizing patterns and studying roots and origins, as well as Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes."

To any future speller, Sanders offered this advice: "If you have the motivation, your spelling can improve if you study patterns."

For her part, Billmayer was surprised by her win, saying, "I didn't expect that at all." However, she stated that she would proudly serve if she was needed.

The 59th Annual Treasure State Spelling Bee will be held on Saturday, March 9, at 1:00 p.m. on the campus of Montana State University–Bozeman.

Sponsored in part by the Montana Television Network, the Treasure State Spelling Bee is the final competition for determining one contestant who will represent Montana at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.