The Merrill District Spelling Bee was held Thursday, Feb. 5, in the auditorium of Prairie River Middle School. Seven schools were represented in the Spelling Bee with 31 students participating. Jefferson School – Jack Hoock & Riley Fritcher; Kate Goodrich – Caitlyn Geiss & David Golisch; Maple Grove Charter School – Ramsey Wendt & Melody Nelson; PRMS – Elena Woller, Delainy Stockowitz, Rachel Travis, Edmund Collinsworth, Tanner Depies, Jakob Mattson, Cody Depies, Logan O’Connell, Anna Rydeski, Abigail Burgener, Sean Berndt, Quinn Steckbauer, Thomas LaFreniere, Logan LeDuc & Molly Rydeski; St. Francis Xavier School – Bailey Orzech, Claire Drew, Dominic Laufenberg, Jayda Bushor; St. John Lutheran School – Samuel Bennett, Jacob Zelinski, Eve Akey, Abe Akey; Washington School – Benjamin Freyer & Brennan Schneider. All contestants took a 25 word written test and the top 10 spellers advanced to the spell down with the top three spellers advancing to Regionals. Taking 1st place-Benjamin Freyer, 2nd place-Abe Akey, 3rd place-Cody Depies, and alternate-Elena Woller. The Regional Spelling Bee was held at DC Everest Middle School on Tuesday, Feb. 10.