February 5, 2025
The 2025 Hall County Spelling Bee brought the county’s best spellers together in a grueling competition of words.
This year saw a clean sweep for Westridge Middle School, with the Cougars placing in the overall top three. MaKenna Ostrander, a Westridge eighth grader, was crowned the Hall County Champion. Her fellow classmates Tatiana Sage and Adeline Haag placed second and third, respectively.
Adding to the excitement, many other Grand Island Public Schools students found success at the competition.
In the fifth grade level, Mackenzie Fanta from Seedling Mile Elementary placed first, and Elin Erb from Engleman placed third. In sixth grade, Brody Troidl from Westridge placed first, Nikola Diaz DeLeon from Barr Middle School placed second, and Alynna Nghiem from Walnut Middle School placed third. In seventh grade, Remi Buchfinck from Westridge placed first, and Carter Ritchie from Walnut placed third. Along with the overall competition honors, Ostrander, Sage, and Haag swept the eighth grade category.
The spelling bee, though fun, can be nerve wracking, MaKenna said. Despite nerves, she emerged victorious, conquering challenging words like "clandestine" to claim the overall championship.
"I was so relieved when I got 'fajitas'," MaKenna shared, recalling a particularly tough round where many contestants stumbled. "Everyone was getting hard words like 'algebraic,' and I was worried I'd get out!"
Tatiana and Adeline added that the spelling bee is fun, especially since they enjoy reading and writing.
“It's pretty fun because you're able to challenge yourself, and it challenges you to really think about what you're spelling,” Adeline said.
“I like to read chapter books because there is more to read,” Tatiana explained, citing her enjoyment for reading, writing, and spelling.
Stacy Vogel, integration specialist at Westridge, organizes the spelling bee team for Westridge. Each student takes a written test in class so all students have an opportunity to participate. From there, the students whose scores qualify are invited to an oral spelling bee after school, just like it would be at the Hall County Spelling Bee. Then, the top spellers from each grade compete at the Hall County Spelling Bee.
“I give them all their credit, and I'm super proud of them for their dedication to doing it well, and their hard work along the way,” Vogel said.
Adding to the district-wide success, Mackenzie from Seedling Mile said the competition was challenging, but fun.
"Some of the words I'd never heard before," Mackenzie admitted, "But now I know them!" She expressed pride in her accomplishment and the experience of representing her school.
MaKenna agreed with Mackenzie on feeling pride about representing her school in the competition.
“It does feel really good,” MaKenna said.
The Hall County Spelling Bee showcased the remarkable talent and commitment of young spellers across the district.
Congratulations to all the winners and participants!
