COEUR d'ALENE — "Soppiness" is a bit of a strange word, one that made Emerson Rakes grin as she spelled it into the microphone.

"It was like, is it a 'y' or is it an 'i'?" she said. "The words are so weird."

But it was Emerson's correct spelling of the word "frugal" during the North Idaho Spelling Bee in Schuler Performing Arts Center on Saturday morning that triggered the confetti cannon and earned her the title of champion.

"You know, I'm feeling OK," the Lakes Middle School eighth-grader said with a beaming smile, a trophy gleaming in her arms.

Amiah Van Hill, a Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy sixth-grader, won first runner-up.

The stellar spellers laughed when they shared their reactions to the confetti cannon.

"That actually really scared me so bad," Emerson said.

This is the first time in two years a live regional bee has been held. Emerson said "it feels very, very good" to be this year's grand champion speller.

"I have a lot of stuff to do today, so now this is off my plate," she said.

Amiah said she also felt good about the competition, despite misspelling the word "frontier" in the seventh round.

"I'm mad at myself for spelling that word wrong," she said.

She and North Idaho Home Educators Association fifth-grader Elijah White went head to head for two rounds to clinch first runner-up. Amiah won with the word "ghastly."

"I'm actually quite surprised I made it this far," she said, smiling.

Christian Center School fourth-grader Bella Keyser went out when she misspelled "camcorder." She said she was a little nervous on the stage.

"It was a lot different than being at school and having my friend's dad do the pronouncing," she said.

"I'm so proud of her. She's a mini me," her mom Amanda Keyser said. "I did spelling bees when I was a kid, so I was so excited when it came back in time for her to be old enough to do it. I was cheering her on. I'm very proud of her. I told her in two years she might be up there with her little sister competing."

The regional spelling bee was sponsored for 17 years by the Coeur d’Alene Press and overseen by North Idaho College. In 2020, NIC sponsored and oversaw the competition, then announced its retirement from the bee.

College officials called for a new sponsor and coordinator, and the Idaho Character Foundation answered. The foundation promotes character excellence throughout the community.

"We're very excited at the Idaho Character Foundation. We're able to continue this 18-year legacy now for the 19th year and we're so grateful that NIC and the Coeur d'Alene Press were able to pass the torch on to us," foundation co-founder Dan Pinkerton said. "Coeur d'Alene School District and Dr. Mike Nelson have just been phenomenal to work with. We look forward to building into the future."

Emerson won a 2022 United States Mint proof set, $1,000 cash and a year-long online subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica and Webster’s Dictionary.

She also won a trip to Washington D.C., to compete in the National Scripps Spelling Bee at the end of May, which offers a $50,000 champion’s prize. The Scripps finals will broadcast live on ION on June 2.