Emporia Middle School took three of the top four spots at the 2023 Lyon County Spelling Bee, led by eighth-grader Connor McBride.
McBride spelled both “chemotherapy” and “maneuverable” to win Tuesday. He seemed comfortable throughout the spelling bee, especially with the final words.
Adrianna Sieberns of Olpe was second, followed by JT Tucker and Cora Barrett, both of Emporia Middle School.
McBride now moves to the Sunflower State Spelling Bee on March 25 at Newman University in Wichita.
This was the first year KVOE had not broadcast the spelling bee, either on air or in a combination of on-air and online, in around 15 years because of an enforcement effort by Scripps, which oversees the national spelling proceedings. KVOE was recognized for its longstanding partnership with Lyon County Spelling Bee organizers during Tuesday’s event, and there are some conversations underway about whether to continue the spelling bee with limited or no affiliation to the Scripps process.
