PLTMS 7th grader Jackson Melton, 12, placed second after 13 total rounds, including a five-round battle with Bee winner Jake Bailey before misspelling “theorem.” As runner-up, Jackson won a $50 Amazon gift card and a Merriam Webster Dictionary that will arrive in a few weeks. He also got a pat on the back – which was nice, he said.
“It was kind of exciting being up there, with the lights in your eyes, knowing all the words the other contestants had gotten out on,” said Jackson, who lives in Prophetstown. “I really wanted to win it because last year I wasn’t even in the top 5 at the school Bee since I stuttered. I’m just proud to have gotten to regionals in the first place.”
Jackson, whose favorite subject is science, first participated in the PLTMS Spelling Bee last year. Alex Ottens won that Bee and went on to win regionals and a trip to Washington D.C. for the national competition.
Jackson’s parents James and Linh Melton, along with Emily Higgins, PLT 6-12 Special Ed teacher and PLT Spelling Bee sponsor, were at the Thursday’s regionals. Higgins helped restart the Spelling Bee in 2018 and having another student excel during the competition is a rewarding validation of the program’s success.
“Jack did an amazing job!” said Mrs. Higgins. “I am so proud of how much work he put in and how well he did in his first trip to regionals as a 7th grader.”
Eighth grader Kyla Crady was the representative of Erie Middle School this year. “Kyla did a tremendous job making it to the fourth round, where she stumbled on the homonym “feign,” reported 5th grade teacher Nikki Arians. “EMS is so proud of her accomplishments!”
The overall winner of this year’s Regional Spelling Bee was Jake Bailey of Fulton Unity, who will receive an all-expense paid trip to National Harbor, Maryland in May to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
This year’s Spelling Bee sponsors were Lee-Ogle-Whiteside ROE #47, Mike Menchaca – Country Financial Fulton, First National Bank of Amboy, and Sauk Valley Media.
Kyla Crady at the Lee-Ogle-Whiteside Regional Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 22. Photos provided by Nikki Arians.
Congratulations to Jackson Melton of PLTMS for placing second at the Regional Spelling Bee!
