The annual Read To Succeed "Read To Bee Spelling Bee" welcomed 19 spellers to the stage at Patterson Park on Saturday morning, April 9th to compete for the title of 2016 Read To Bee Champion.

6th grade contestants representing Murfreesboro City, Private, and Rutherford County schools competed for 25 rounds before a champion was crowned. Pronouncer, Earl Hull asked these students to spell words such as vestigial, querulous, ventriloquy, smithereens, and plagiarism while judges Diane Mackey, Brian Coleman, and Caresa Dodson listened intently.

The final two spellers were Laney Denton representing Overall Creek and Jonah Wells representing Oakland Middle. These two amazing students went several rounds before Laney incorrectly spelled the word instinctively allowing Jonah to win by spelling both jurisdiction and excoriate correctly.

Jonah Wells received the 2016 Read To Bee trophy along with a $125 cash award from Franklin Synergy Bank. Runner-up, Laney Denton, received the 2016 Read To Bee medal, $75 cash award from Franklin Synergy Bank. Both students received gift certificates to The Learning Circle for their teachers.

Read To Succeed congratulates all the 2016 contestants, their parents, and teachers for a wonderful 2016 Read To Bee and wishes all of these students successful futures.

Need more details on how to get involved with Read To Succeed?

For more information on this event and other literacy events in Rutherford County, please visit www.readtosucceed.org, call 615/738-READ, or follow Read To Succeed on facebook and twitter.