STRONG — The 2017 Franklin County Spelling Bee was held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in the Strong School gym.

The judges, Judi Richard, Margaret Adams, Shirley Schrader and Catherine Zachary, listened intently as contestants Elise Spencer, Moriah Reusch, Zechariah Coolong, Charlotte Casko, Nadia Davis, Kaila Godbey, Hannah Cox, Charlie Pye, Madison DeLuca and Savannah Duggan received their words from the Bee Master, Cheryl Pike.

At the end of the fifth round, two students, Moriah Reusch and Kaila Godbey, remained in the bee. At the end of round seven, the governor of the Franklin County Spelling Bee, Felecia Pease, declared Godbey as the runner-up and Reusch, a sixth-grader from Mt. Blue Middle School, as the Franklin County Spelling Bee Champion. Reusch spelled “crochet” and “alamo” correctly to move on to the Maine State Spelling Bee, which will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the University of Southern Maine/Hannaford Hall.

Franklin County Spelling Bee champion Moriah Reusch, left, is a sixth-grade student at Mt. Blue Middle School. Kaila Godbey, right, a seventh-grade student at Spruce Mountain Middle School, was named the runner-up.

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