On the evening of Jan. 30, 18 FHUSD students from second through eighth grade competed in the District Spelling Bee held at Fountain Hills Middle School as part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee system.

Contestants included McDowell Mountain Elementary School students Isaac Ricks (MMES Champion), Beckham Nolan, Colleen Streufert, and Joseph Ricks; and Fountain Hills Middle School students Jack Boersma, Griffin Bos, Alex Brownstein, Teryn Dean, Lindsey Eminhizer, David Goldapper, Drake Goldapper, Hunter Hoid, Josef Johnson, Ty Langer, Ava Mastroianni, Natalie Owers, Brendan Schaefer and Gannon Young. Schaefer, Dean and Eminhizer are returning contestants from the 2016-17 district bee.

The champion and second place winner repeated their performance of last year’s district bee with seventh grader Brendan Schaefer as the FHUSD spelling bee champion and seventh grader Lindsey Eminhizer as the second place winner. Schaefer will represent the district at the Maricopa County Region II Bee in Cave Creek on Feb. 23. Lindsey is the alternate if he is unable to participate.

Organizers said they wanted to congratulate all of the spellers who were “very brave and smart” in this year’s competition. They were the top spellers of their grade levels and will have the same opportunity every year up to eighth grade.

Coordinating the school and district bees were MMES principal Valerie Dehombreux, MMES third grade teacher Linda Ness and FHMS fifth grade teacher/TOSA James Carlson.

Dehombreux said that, returning for another excellent job as pronouncer was Tina Price (FHMS 6th/8th grade science teacher) and judges including FHUSD Governing Board President Edith Stock and Vice President Jill Reed, as well as Fountain Hills Mentor, Roger Riggert.

“FHMS principal Linda McKeever, FHUSD superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney, and all FHUSD custodial and office staff provided amazing support,” Dehombreux added.