STRONG — A Mount Blue Middle School student won the Franklin County spelling bee Tuesday for the second year in a row.

Moriah Reusch spelled “wanderlust” to win the contest held at Strong Elementary School. 

Runner-up Milo Thompson Vought, also representing RSU 9, went head-to-head with Reusch, each spelling half a dozen words correctly before Thompson Vought misspelled “filament.” Thompson Vought will compete in the state bee if Reusch is unable to attend.

The top spellers were among 14 contestants from Franklin County who vied for regional honors and a crack at the state, and possibly even the national, spelling bee competition.

The event at Strong Elementary School included middle school students representing five school districts: Flagstaff, Mount Blue, Spruce Mountain, Mount Abram and Rangeley. 

Strong Elementary Principal Felecia Pease, serving her 14th year as the official governor, assigned each contestant a number and encouraged contestants to relax.

Veteran Bee Master Cheryl Pike started with a warm-up round, and students were composed as they each took their turn at the microphone before an audience of parents, teachers and friends.

Words are sent from the directors of the Scripps National Spelling Bee to governors in advance, with the list divided into rounds. Students who misspelled a word took their seats in the audience at the end of the round. 

When the last two contestants competed for first place, Pike explained that if the first contestant spelled a word incorrectly, the other contestant would have a chance to spell a new word. If that word was spelled incorrectly, the contest would continue until one competitor had spelled the word correctly.

All but two students were eliminated in the first five rounds, misspelling a mixture of common and obscure challenges, including “pueblo,” “spitz “and “prescription.”

After each round, the audience gave all contestants a round of applause.

The State Bee will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at the University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Hall in Portland. The Maine winner will advance to the national level and will compete in Washington, D.C., during Bee Week, starting May 29.  A

According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, children across America have participated in school, local and regional bees since 1925. This year, 11 million students will participate.

Competitors: 

RSU 58 (Kingfield area): Jaiden Bachelder, Nadia Davis, Isaac Terry.

RSU 9 (Farmington area): Moriah Reusch (winner), Ashton Fortenbacker, Milo Thompson Vought (runner-up), Kayli Chesnutt.

RSU 73 (Jay area): Mackenzie Curtis, Kaila Godbey, Savannah Duggan , Peyton Martin.

Rangeley: Jimmy Hathaway, Lily Lavallee.

Flagstaff: Cassidy Strunk.

Bee master: Cheryl Pike.

Bee judges: Judi Richard, Margaret Adams, Patricia Rodway, Catherine Zachary, Katie Wuori.

Bee governor: Felecia Pease.

Winner Moriah Reusch and runner-up Milo Thompson Vought represented Regional School Unit 9 in the annual Scripps Spelling Bee on Tuesday evening. Fourteen contestants, representing five school districts, competed in the annual regional bee at Strong Elementary School. (Valerie Tucker photo)