HAPS Student Repeats As Spelling Champ

By Hope Public Schools, 03/1/21 11:06 AM

HOPE – The Hope Academy of Public Service continued its dominance of the Hempstead County Spelling Bee as a HAPS student won the overall title for the seventh year.

HAPS seventh grade student Addison McEuen will represent Hempstead County at the state spelling been in Little Rock on March 13 after bringing the title to HAPS, again.

McEuen and Spring Hill eighth grade champion Gabe Fugitt fought it out for a second year and Fugitt will represent Hempstead County as alternate should McEuen not be able to participate in the state meet.

Both McEuen and Fugitt won at their respective grade levels to compete for the overall championship.

Winners by grade in the county competition were:

Overall champion – Addison McEuen, seventh grade, HAPS.

Overall alternate – Gabe Fugitt, eighth grade, Spring Hill.

Overall vocabulary – Layla Cantwell, seventh grade, Spring Hill.

Eighth grade first runner up – Cherish Thomas, HAPS.

Seventh grade first runner up – Sadie Knoll, Garrett Memorial Christian School.

Sixth grade winner – Aiden Chambless, Spring Hill.

Fifth grade winner – Harmony Rogers, Beryl Henry Elementary School.

Fourth grade winner – Ariyona Liggon, Clinton Primary School.

Sponsored locally by the Southwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative, the countywide spelling bee was affected this year by the COVID-19 health crisis and converted to an online competition format.

The annual competition is sponsored statewide by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in conjunction with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, sponsored by the E. W. Scripps Co. The Little Rock newspaper has sponsored the contest statewide since 1992.

The competition is limited to students under age 16 who have not advanced beyond the eighth grade.

 

Hope Academy of Public Service seventh grade student Addison McEuen went three for three this year as overall champion of the Hempstead County Spelling Bee. – Hope Public Schools