By Paula Pyzik Scott

Does the idea of participating in a spelling bee sound “terrifying” or even “poisonous” or would you naturally break down words “paragraph” by paragraph and calmly spell them out loud?

The January 18 spelling bee at Bluffton Middle School (BMS) presented words including the thematically appropriate selections above, as eleven spellers from grades 6, 7 and 8 went head-to-head in the school’s annual competition.

The level of difficulty was amped up in the 11th round, when five spellers had yet to be followed by the bell that indicates an incorrect spelling.

It was the word “fiendishly” that left one speller standing–6th grader Colton Kelly. The son of Molly and Brian Kelly, Colton has qualified to compete at the county level.

The following students qualified for the BMS bee with an initial test. Top scorers in

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the 6th grade were: Alenah Gordon-Hancock, Colton Kelly, Cameron Cox and Anna Schedler.

Top scorers in the 7th grade were Jorian Mast, Gabe Foster, Elijah Lewis, Amelia Haley and Joey Richardson-Miller.

Top scorers in the 8th grade were Peighton Bowers and Kennedie Longworth.

The event was coordinated by teacher Natalie Armstrong, with assistance from pronouncer Jackie Bourassa and judges Becky Boblitt and Melissa Richards.