Madawaska students prove stellar wordsmiths at local spelling bee

MADAWASKA, Maine — A Madawaska Elementary School sixth-grader took top honors at a Madawaska School Department Spelling Bee held Wednesday, Jan. 27. 

Winner Alexis Berube and runner-up Mia “Max” Stewart, a Madawaska Middle/High School eighth-grader, will advance to the Aroostook County Spelling Bee.

The young wordsmiths proved their spelling mettle during a competition that was held via Zoom video conference as Madawaska Schools were engaged in hybrid learning at the time of the contest, due to COVID-19. 

Madawaska Elementary School educator Bonny Plourde-Tingley organized the local spelling bee. 

“There is a need for normalcy and continuity of the regular, and these kids look forward to these types of things,” Plourde-Tingley said. “I wanted to make sure that happened for them so I collaborated with my peers and we made it happen. It was very difficult doing a spelling bee on Zoom, but it worked out very, very well — better than we thought.” 

The Aroostook County Spelling Bee will be held during the week of Feb. 25-28 using the Scripps online testing platform.

Madawaska Middle/High School eighth-grader Mia “Max” Stewart is runner up of the 2021 Madawaska School Department Spelling Bee and will advance to the 2021 Aroostook County Spelling Bee. (Courtesy of Madawaska School Department)