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Congratulations, spellers!

What do the words “supine” and “cadaverous” have in common?

More than you might think, including the fact that they carried a local scholar to victory on Thursday evening.

After successfully spelling both words correctly at the end of the annual Belmont County Spelling Bee, sixth-grader Tyler Harris claimed the grand prize. The St. Mary’s, St. Clairsville, student will go on to represent the county at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., at the end of May.

The trip begins with shuttle service to Pittsburgh followed by Amtrak transportation to the nation’s capital for Harris, a parent and a teacher/coach. He also earned a $500 cash prize, first-place trophy, Merriam-Webster Unabridged online certificate, the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a plaque with the two winning words for school display, the Traveling Trophy for school display, and a one-year subscription to the Britannica Online Premium. The prizes are provided courtesy of major sponsors The Times Leader, Belmont Savings Bank, Bordas & Bordas, Uniglobe/Ohio Valley Travel, Martins Ferry Elks, Airport Limousine and the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center.

Alana Marie Wilson of Martins Ferry Christian School is the runner-up and county alternate after misspelling the word “tetanus” in the final round. She will compete in the national bee if Harris is unable to do so. She took home a $250 cash prize, the second-place trophy and the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition).

Third place went to eighth-grader Calvin Ni of Shadyside Middle School and fourth to sixth grader Lily Ulrich of Bellaire Middle School. Winner of the artwork contest for the cover of this year’s official county spelling bee program is seventh grader Cameron McCord of Martins Ferry Christian School.

The Times Leader congratulates each of these students for their outstanding performances. We also commend every student who took part in the county bee this year, and those who participated in their individual district bees in an effort o qualify late last year. The students, their parents and their teachers and coaches invest hours of hard work preparing for these competitions. Regardless of the outcomes, all of those individuals deserve recognition for their efforts.

Kudos to you, Tyler Harris, for your performance Thursday evening. We wish you the best of luck in Washington, D.C.

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