Eureka Junior High’s Stephan Cooke

correctly spelled “regurgitate” and “flagellum” to win the Lincoln

County Spelling Bee last week in Eureka.

Kaleb Boyd of Libby Middle School

challenged Cooke to the end but missed on the word “grotesqueness”

to finish runner-up. Lee Cole, also from Libby Middle School,

placed third.

The bee began with 21 students in the

first round and was narrowed to eight in the second. It progressed

quickly down to five and then the final three. The bee ended after

10 rounds.

“I’ve never seen a spelling bee go that

fast,” LMS Assistant Principal Keith Ivers said.

Cooke won a $30 gift certificate to

Cabinet Books and Music, a first-place plaque and expenses paid to

the state bee by the county superintendent of schools office.

Cooke will represent Lincoln County in

the State Spelling Bee on March 26 in Billings.

Boyd and Cole also won gift

certificates to the bookstore along with plaques.

Other participants included Troy Junior

High’s Ashley Neely and Kasey Faur; Morrison Elementary’s Kaylee

Stecher and Jasmine Barnes; Fortine Elementary’s Allen Greer;

Eureka Christian School’s Timothy Eash; Kootenai Valley Christian

School’s Tiffany Stine; Libby Middle School’s Galen Graziano, Gabe

Peck, Josh McGough, Erica Barnes, Takoda Keiper and Brandie Hoyt;

Eureka Junior High’s Madison Short; Eureka Elementary School’s

Miles Plemmons and Seth Bash; Trego Elementary’s Evynn Anderson;

and Eureka Area Home Schools’ Brian Chupp.