Ferlan repeats as Sanders County Spelling Bee champ

Plains Middle School 8th grader Talon Ferlan claimed top honors at the 38th Annual Sanders County Spelling Bee last Friday, marking his second consecutive victory.

This achievement is particularly impressive as it has been some time since a speller won back-to-back titles. Annie Wooden, co-sponsor and Bee Director, noted that she had not witnessed this feat in her time organizing the event, which began in 2018. 

Ferlan correctly spelled the word “realm” to secure his victory. As the first-place winner, he is now eligible to compete in the Treasure State Spelling Bee in Bozeman, scheduled for March 22.

Ferlan’s father, Tony Ferlan, proudly expressed, “I’m proud of him. He is a good speller.”

In second place was Ziah Hensrude, an 8th grader from Hot Springs, while Asher Hartman, a 7th grader from Noxon, earned third place.

The Sanders County Ledger, along with 1st Security Bank, has sponsored the spelling bee for 38 years. Since purchasing the Ledger in 2018, Wooden has continued the sponsorship, maintaining the tradition of supporting local youth.

A total of 21 students from across Sanders County qualified for the annual spelling bee, with 15 contestants participating in this year’s competition. 

Wooden kicked off the event by explaining the rules: Contestants approach the podium where they are given a word by the pronouncer. They must speak clearly, ensuring the judges can hear the order of the letters. Participants have the option to request a definition, ask for the word to be repeated, inquire about its use in a sentence, or learn about its part of speech or language of origin.

After pronouncing the word, contestants must begin spelling, and once finished, they must pronounce the word again. While failure to pronounce the word at both the start and end of the spelling doesn’t result in disqualification, it helps judges track when the speller has completed the word.

A correct spelling results in a green card from the judges, while an incorrect spelling prompts a red card, signaling the end of the contestant’s participation. Those who are eliminated are asked to take a seat in the audience.

Tom Eggensperger, former owner of the Ledger, served as the pronouncer for the event, marking his 38th year in the role. The three-judge panel consisted of long-time volunteer Karen Dwyer, Alisa Garcia, a Sanders County employee and first-time bee participant, and Joanne Burk, representing 1st Security Bank.

The 1st Security Bank sponsors awarded Barnes & Noble gift cards to the top 30 spellers, while the Sanders County Ledger sponsors presented trophies to the top 30 finishers. This partnership between the Ledger and 1st Security Bank has made them the longest-running private sponsors of a spelling bee in Montana.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place from May 27-29.

    Winners of the 38th Annual Sanders County Spelling Bee, right to left, 3rd place Asher Hartman from Noxon, 2nd place Ziah Hensrude from Hot Spring, and 1st place Talon Ferlan from Plains. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    One of the youngest spelling bee participants was Noxon 4th grader Daphne Gunn. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)