FORRESTON — Forreston Junior High School held its annual spelling bee on Friday, Jan. 19. Students, parents, and staff watched as the qualifiers from the language arts classes of Mrs. Griseta, Mrs. Leddy and Ms. Sellers, competed for the title of top speller. 31 students from sixth, seventh and eighth grades took part in the competition.
Cora Schmidt and Brayden Pauls battled to earn first and second place honors respectively. Seventh grader, Cora, is the daughter of Erin and Eric Schmidt of Forreston. Brayden, also a seventh grader, is the son of Dr. Craig Pauls and Kiley Pauls of Freeport. After 16 rounds of head-to-head competition, Cora spelled the words “quotation” and “superior” to earn the championship medal. Brayden earned the runner-up spot after competing against Jacob Merkel in the final three rounds to determine the second-place spot, correctly spelling the word “desecration.”
Cora will compete in the Lee/Ogle/Whiteside County Regional Spelling Bee held at Dixon High School on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. Brayden, as a runner-up in the school bee, will be an alternate for the Regional Bee. Congratulations to all students who competed in the school bee, and good luck to Cora as she represents Forreston Jr/Sr. High School at the Regional Bee in Dixon.
