Decker Milender wins Superior spelling bee
<p>Cutline:DeckER Milender, a fifth-grader, won the Superior spelling bee. (Photo courtesy of Stacia Denton)</p>
On a cold, wet day in Superior, Montana, a spelling bee was about to begin. All of the 17 contestants were very nervous to start spelling in front of the whole school. The contestants consisted of fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-graders.
Once the rules were established the real thing was ready to begin. Some of the kids looked pretty excited, but deep down we knew that they were very nervous. During the practice round and first round, all of the words were fairly easy, but during the second round the words started to get harder and harder.
In the fourth round the contestants were whittled down to two spellers: Zoë Kelsey, a sixth-grader, and Decker Milender, a fifth-grader. The mood was intense as the words, diction, pronunciation — the systematic repetition of the competition — lasted each round. Finally it was the last round. Decker Milender won after the long contest, and the crowd went wild!
Cassie Paige Green and Kayla Goldman are cub reporters at Superior. They are in the sixth grade.