Pictured (from left) are Ashton Brown, Cloverleaf Elementary Principal Andy Mehall, Board of Education member Sam Kennington, Tatum Fortner, and Board of Education member Bill Howell.

Special to Iredell Free News

The Iredell-Statesville Schools District Spelling Bee was held in February at Mac Gray Auditorium on the campus of Statesville High School. The competition lasted eight rounds, and the final winning word was “bonito.”

The winner, Cloverleaf Elementary fifth-grader Ashton Brown, earned a spot in the regional competition, which is scheduled for March 15 at the Reynolds Place Theatre in Winston-Salem.

Tatum Fortner, a fourth-grader at East Elementary School, and Wyatt Cline, a sixth-grader at North Iredell Middle School, tied for second place.