Representing Gaylesville School, Abbie Bishop was this year’s winner of the Cherokee County Spelling Bee, held at Cedar Bluff School. Bishop won when she correctly spelled the word “chia.” She will now advance to compete in the Alabama Spelling Bee in March.

The county runner-up was Breelyn Bishop, also from Gaylesville.

Other spelling bee participants included Marlee Timm and Mia Wood from Cedar Bluff, Benjamin Williamson and River Robinson from Centre Elementary, Jaxon Mageo and T.J. Hooper from Centre Middle, Baylor Daniel and Haley Dishong from Sand Rock, and Declan Smith and Paige Kelley from Spring Garden.

Words spelled during the competition included cucumber, tantrum, various, wistful, mandate, pigeon, volcano, and science.