Spelling bee competitors and audience members pack Alhambra Theatre

The Christian County Literacy Council had more than 80 entrants for the second annual competition.

The Christian County Literacy Council had a packed house Tuesday evening at the Alhambra Theatre for its second annual spelling bee. 

Family members and friends broke into cheers and “oohs” with each correct and missed response for words ranging from “brilliance” and “contagious” to “tolerable,” “cowlick” and “whiskers.”

The elementary division for students in grades three through five attracted 59 entrants. The middle division for grades six through eight had 20 competitors, and the high school division had five. 

Francene Gilmer, executive director of the Christian County Literacy Council, poses with the elementary division winners Zoey Harbold (first), and (from left, front) Arjun Patel (second) and John Carson Vergara (third). (Photo by Jennifer P. Brown, Hoptown Chronicle)

The winners by division were:

  • Elementary — Zoey Harbold, Heritage Christian Academy, first; Arjun Patel, University Heights Academy, second; and John Caron Vergara, Indian Hills, third.
  • Middle school — Teerth Shah, first, Akil Patel, second, and Trisha Shah, third, all from University Heights Academy. 
  • High school — Lacey Elisabeth Paige, first, and Timothy Hanley, second, both of Christian County High School, and Kylie Radford, third, Hopkinsville High School. 
The middle school winners (from left), all students at University Heights Academy, were Prisha Shah (third), Akil Patel (second) and Teerth Shah (first). (Photo by Jennifer P. Brown, Hoptown Chronicle)

The winner in each division received $100 and a Kindle electronic reader. Second place received $100 and third received $50.

Several literacy council board members and volunteers assisted executive director Francene Gilmer, including word-caller Wayne Goolsby and committee chair Beth Brockman. 

Winners in the high school division were (from left) Kylie Radford (third), Timothy Hanley (second) and Lacey Elisabeth Paige (first). (Photo provided)

Dr. Alissa Young, president of Hopkinsville Community College, and Cody Noffsinger, accounting supervisor for Hopkinsville Electric System, were the judges. 

Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.