Students win top awards at Bi-County Academic contest

Students from both Lind and Ritzville school districts traveled to Reardan for the Bi-County Academic contest on March 8.

Ritzville Grade School had 32 students participating in the event and 21 of those students were top placers in the contest.

Lind Middle School also took 32 students to the contest with 21 students finishing as finalists in their events.

The Bi-County Academic contest is an annual event that brings students in third through eighth grades to compete in various academic events. Students competed in six different categories: math, spelling, geography, persuasive speech, impromptu speech and interpretive speech.

For each school, teachers selected two students in the third through eighth grades to compete in spelling and one student in grades five through eight to compete in the math, geology and the speeches categories.

The Ritzville students that had first place finishes in the contest are Ryan Frederick for eighth grade geography, Emma Aldrich for sixth grade geography, Peyton Kiel for eighth grade math, Lacey Miller for fifth grade impromptu speaking and Bryce Hansen in fifth grade spelling.

Lauren Ellis is the only Lind student that placed first in their respective competitions. Ellis received her first place finish in the sixth grade persuasive speaking contest.

The students that had second place finishes from Ritzville are Michael Murphy in fifth grade geography, Emily Kinney for seventh grade geography, Spencer Gering in fourth grade spelling and Samantha Asmussen in eighth grade interpretive speaking.

Students from Lind that received second place awards during the contest are Emmanuel Huitron for eighth grade impromptu speaking, Josh Schwartz for fifth grade math, Alexis Guizar for eighth grade geography and TyAnn Tellefson for seventh grade persuasive speaking.

Those students who finished third in the contest for Ritzville are Kallie Harder for seventh grade impromptu speaking, Dallas Killian for eighth grade impromptu speaking, Peyton Curtis for sixth grade interpretative speaking and Anna Vlk in fifth grade math.

For Lind, two students recorded third place finishes. Those two students are Haley Kulm for fourth grade spelling and Taylor Kulm for eighth grade persuasive speaking.

Ritzville only had one student in the fourth place category and that is Dylan Gaede for fifth grade interpretive speaking.

The Lind students who placed fourth in their events are Lizette Silva for sixth grade spelling, Laurel Hayes for sixth grade interpretive speaking, Camden Smith in sixth grade geography, Cinthia Guizar for fifth grade persuasive speaking, Sharon Anderson in fifth grade impromptu speaking and Emily Rosen in sixth grade impromptu speaking.

The fifth place finishers for the Ritzville students are Rachel Schell for sixth grade persuasive speaking, Erica Leffel in seventh grade persuasive speech, Holly Nygren for eighth grade persuasive speaking and Alarah Pierce-Pulliam in sixth grade math.

Those students that placed fifth in the contest for Lind are Emily Morgan who tied with another competitor in the fourth grade spelling, Alan Field for eighth grade spelling and Eric Hayes in fifth grade geography.

For sixth place awards, the Ritzville recipients are Trinity Wyma for seventh grade math, Caden Liberty in fifth grade spelling and Kierstin Witt for fifth grade persuasive speaking.

The Lind students who received sixth place awards are Tara Tellefson for sixth grade spelling, Dustin Kulm for seventh grade spelling, Morgan Shields for seventh grade impromptu speaking, Brianna KinKade for fifth grade interpretive speaking and Jack Anderson for sixth grade math.

Participant ribbons for students in Ritzville went to Bryce Pichette, Tessa Jantz, Linnea Schafer, Drew Kelley, Ellie Gering, Claire Roettger, Alisha Baker, Felicia Ziemer, Merlee Liberty, Kristen Shaw and Andrew Witt.

For Lind, participants ribbons went to Ashlynn Norton, Korina Curtis, Ben Dennis, Casandra Rand, Carlos Mora, Maribeth Kimball, Abbigail Barnett, Samantha Reyes, Dinah Gadberry, Damien Rouleau and Laura Alvarez.