Suwannee County School District held a district wide Spelling Bee on January 12 at the Suwannee County School District Administrative Offices.

Winners from six different schools participated in the contest with students ranging from fifth grade to eighth grade. The participants were Seth Humphries from Branford High School, Jennifer Chen from Suwannee Middle School, Morgan Smith from Westwood Christian School, Morgan Golden from Suwannee Intermediate School, Savannah Sessions from Branford Elementary School, and Samantha Barber from Melody Christian Academy.

Samantha Barber won the contest in the sixth round when she correctly spelled “Boulevard.” Morgan Smith and Jennifer Chen tied as district runner-up. Academic Coach at Suwannee Intermediate School, Marcia Boatright, says, “The district Spelling Bee is always a nail-biter, and this year's contest was no exception.  Out of all the fifth through eighth graders in the district, these six really brought it today and came to win. They should all be very proud of themselves.”

With her first place finish at the district competition, Barber will now represent Suwannee County at the regional Spelling Bee on March 4, 2017, at the Jacksonville Main Public Library.