The Jefferson Davis County School District hosted the 2020 county spelling bee at the Academic Success Center in Carson on Feb. 6 at 9:30 a.m.

Students from Prentiss Christian School, G. W. Carver Elementary School, and J. E. Johnson Elementary School participated in this annual event.

Spelling bee participants were JEJ seventh grader India Bass, PCS fifth grader Rhett Daughdrill, CES eighth grader Kamora Hawthorne, PCS eighth grader Lake Jordan, CES sixth grader Alaina Washington, and JEJ sixth grader Sanylan Watts.

The overall winner of the 2020 Jefferson Davis County spelling bee was Alaina Washington, a sixth grade student at CES.

The winning word spelled by Washington on the county level was caroling.

Washington advanced to the Mississippi overall spelling bee held March 10 at the Mississippi Public Broadcasting auditorium in Jackson. Her results were not available at press time.

The second place winner was Kamora Hawthorne, an 8th grade student at G. W. Carver Elementary School.

The third place winner is Rhett Daughdrill, a 5th grade student at Prentiss Christian School.

Judges for the county spelling bee were Rosie Powell, Mary West and Shirley Lewis.

The score keeper was Joan Bass, and the announcer was Margaret Wallace.

Karey Alegria, JDCSD AIRS Director, served as the spelling bee coordinator for the school district, and Chellie Payne, JDCSD Special Projects Coordinator, assisted with the spelling bee.