BHS eighth grade student Shakira Hall, the daughter of Earline and Jimmy Graves, represented JDC School District and BHS well when she competed in the Mississippi State Spelling Bee along with 27 other top spellers from around the state. The event was televised Tuesday on MS Public Broadcasting Station. Hall had spelled words like verboten, Panglossian, gauche and sassafras and she was one of only six students left when she misspelled the word “churlish” to take her out of competition.

This was Hall’s 2nd year to go to the state competition. Last year she was eliminated by Round 11 but this year she hung in impressively to Round 27.

“My dad helped me study words and look up pronunciations,” states Hall, “and my English teacher, Ms. Adrianna Reese, encouraged me to compete.”

Hall states the caller completed the list of words they had been given to study and had started drawing from words completely new to the competitors. She says she was a little disappointed when she was eliminated but after looking back over the words she had spelled she was satisfied with her accomplishment of 5th best speller in the state.  She received a certificate, a finalist medal and a gift bag from the event.

Caribbean Adams of New Hebron Elementary, Lawrence County, beat last year’s winner by spelling the word, “apparel” to take Number One speller place. She will go on to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D. C.

Congratulations, Shakira, for all your hard work and representing Jeff Davis County well.