Local students compete in annual spelling bee

Published 11:45 am Friday, January 23, 2026

By Thomas Howard

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Students from Meridian Public School District, Lauderdale County School District and Russell Christian Academy put their spelling skills to the test Friday at the annual Meridian/Lauderdale County Spelling Bee held at the Lauderdale County Government Center.

The contest saw 13 spellers tackle increasingly difficult words until all but one were eliminated. Magnolia Middle School seventh grader Abel Hatcher took home the top spot after a multi-round spell-off between him and second-place winner Wyatt Livingston of West Lauderdale Middle School. Clarkdale High School’s Olivia Kelly rounded out the podium trio in third place.

All three spellers will advance to the state spelling bee semi-finals, which will be held online Feb. 17-19. Top spellers from the online competition will then move on to the state spelling bee at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus March 27-28.

The two top spellers from the state championship will go on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in May.