Alton Elementary Students Compete in Spelling Bee

ALTON - Alton Community Unit School District #11 elementary school students competed in their annual spelling bee.

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, students from East, North and West Elementary Schools competed to become the district’s top speller. Director of Curriculum Jody Meggos explained that the event is a chance for the students to push themselves academically and have fun.

“It’s just another way that we’re encouraging students to stay tuned in with the academics and just trying to find really engaging ways for them to continue to strengthen their academic skills,” Meggos said. “I’m just incredibly proud of them.”

Over the past few weeks, each elementary school held their own spelling bee to find their top nine spellers. The 27 winning students came together at East Elementary for the big competition on May 6.

Talia McDonald from North Elementary won first place, followed by Paisley Holder from East Elementary and Christopher Baahlmann from West Elementary. Carmondy Gill from North Elementary and Nico Ezeagu from West Elementary round out the top five.

The event was fun for students, who were cheered on by their teachers and district administrators. Meggos, who served as a judge, was pleased to see so much enthusiasm from the kids.

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Before the competition began, students were studying together and practicing their spelling out loud. They were “totally into it” and eager to compete. Meggos believes each student should be proud of their hard work to make it to the spelling bee.

“The top 27 of the whole district — I don’t know if they realized how big of a deal that is, but that’s a big deal,” she said. “Hopefully they felt that with the recognition they got today.”

Though Meggos acknowledges that spelling, in the era of autocorrect, isn’t as valued as it once was, it’s still an important skill for students to learn. She added that it lends itself to other academic abilities, like reading, writing, and developing vocabulary.

The spelling bee also teaches life skills, like confidence and perseverance. Students had a great experience, and district leaders hope they’re as proud of themselves as their teachers are.

“I’m just so pleased that we take time in our district to provide these types of opportunities for our students,” Meggos added. “It was exciting just to see their enthusiasm and their dedication and their hard work.”

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This Featured Article is sponsored by Alton Community Unit School District #11. To get your business or organization featured on www.RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.

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