27-05-2025
Four Kansas City-area students participate in National Spelling Bee
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The best spellers in the country are in Washington, D.C., for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, including four contestants from the Kansas City area.
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Here are this year's local contestants:
Adele Gibbens is an eighth grader at Indian Trail Middle School in Olathe, Kansas. She is being sponsored by Olathe Public Schools.
Beckett Griffin is a fifth grader at Underwood Elementary School in Independence, Missouri. She is sponsored by the Mid-Continent Public Library.
William Henley is a sixth grader from Peculiar, Missouri. He attends Pleasant Hill Intermediate School and is sponsored by the Raymore-Peculiar School District.
Natalie Linthicum is an eighth grader at North Daviess R-III School in St. Joseph, Missouri. She is sponsored by the Mosaic Life Care Foundation.
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The preliminary rounds of the competition started Tuesday morning. The final winner will be named Thursday night.
You can watch the semifinals Wednesday and finals Thursday on the ION Television channel. For more information on how to watch the spelling bee, click here.
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