Great Bend Riley Elementary 5th-grader, Christian Garcia took first place in the 2023 Donald H. Humphreys Barton County Spelling Bee. Garcia competed against 22 students from 12 area schools in the competition on Feb. 18 in the Great Bend High School auditorium.
Evan Mason, a 6th-grade student from Eisenhower Elementary in Great Bend took second place in the spelling competition.
Schools in Barton County entered their top two spelling contestants to compete in the county-wide spelling bee. Students from 4th grade through 8th grade were represented.
Garcia and Mason will advance to the Sunflower State Spelling Bee in Wichita on March 25. The State spelling bee is hosted by Newman University.
The Donald H. Humphreys Barton County Spelling Bee is a project of the Kiwanis of Great Bend. Learn more about the Kiwanis of Great Bend at www.GreatBendKiwanis.com