A ‘splendid’ spelling bee victory

West Mercer Elementary fifth-grader Neeva Mody won the school’s spelling bee with the victorious word “splendid” on Jan. 27 in the school auditorium. She notched a $25 gift card donated by Island Books, and advances to compete in the regional spelling bee on March 26 in Seattle. Runner-up was third-grader Evan Marshall. The bee, which was organized by parent Justin Deng, featured 30 children and had winners for each grade. The other grade winners are: kindergartners Artharv Choubey and Roshan Wishwas; first-grader Morgan Marshall; second-grader Jeet Mody; and fourth-grader Timo Kiriputt. Courtesy photo