Montpelier’s Meili Leung was the winner of the 2013 Williams County Spelling Bee and Bryan’s Isaac Bowers was runner-up.
Eighteen students from nine county schools were represented at the Williams County Spelling Bee on January 22, 2013, at the NorthCentralHigh School auditorium in Pioneer. Two representatives from each school in grades 5 -8 had advanced to the Bee.
Montpelier was well represented with both of their spellers in the final three. Lydia Grime, grade 6, exited the contest after misspelling “tithe.” This left Bryan seventh grader Isaac Bowers and Montpelier eighth grader Meili Leung to battle out for the title of champion. Isaac misspelled “stucco,” but after Meili misspelled “crochet,” both returned to continue for several more rounds. After Isaac misspelled “bequeath,” Meili correctly spelled “apricot” and was named the 2013 winner. Meili had proved that she was a serious contender early in the contest as she spelled her words in a rapid-fire manner, clearly demonstrating her spelling expertise. She will advance to the regional spelling bee to be held at IPFW in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on March 9, 2013.