Rehanna Burwell correctly spelled “discern” last Monday to make her the winner of the 2008 Sanders County Spelling Bee.

Burwell competed alongside 23 other Sanders County students at the Thompson Falls Senior Center, finding herself the last speller standing in the end.

The bee included fifth- through eighth-graders from Paradise, Plains, Hot Springs, Thompson Falls, Trout Creek, and Noxon, with four students representing each school. The schools held their own individual spelling bees earlier in the year to determine which four would attend the county bee in Thompson Falls. After Burwell won first place, the battle to decide second and third continued. Peter Graca of Plains and Mara Hanks of Thompson Falls, both eighth-graders, went back and forth before Graca overcame her to secure second.

Graca's excitement to spell “malaria” prompted him to sound off the words so quickly that the judges requested his spelling be played back for them to hear. The bee was audio-recorded in the event that the judges needed to hear a spelling again and it worked to Graca's advantage because they were able to confirm that his spelling was correct.

As prizes, Hanks received a third place trophy and a $50 U.S. Savings Bond while Graca received a second place trophy and a $75 Savings Bond. Burwell, a seventh-grader, was awarded the first place trophy and a $100 Savings Bond. She will also travel to Helena for the State Spelling Bee to represent Sanders County.

The order the spellers were seated was chosen at random and words were randomly selected for each participant to spell. The bee began with a practice round so the students could get a feel for how moderator Dan Whittenburg pronounces words. Judges for the competition were Linda McKahan, Meghan Phillippi and bee director Sandra Gubel. Tom Eggensperger served as the bee administrator.

Competitors in the bee included 11 boys and 13 girls.

The state bee in Helena will take place March 29 and Burwell will compete as the Sanders County champion. If for some reason she in unable to attend, Graca, as runner-up, will compete in her stead.