January 30, 2025
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Joliet District 86 spelling bee winners to compete in Will County regional competition

By Jessie Molloy
Lynne Thigpen Elementary School Principal Dr. Teresa Woodard, Joliet Public Schools District 86 Superintendent Dr. Theresa Rouse, and Carl Sandburg Elementary School Academic Advisor Nina Easto pose with first place spelling bee winner and second place winner Isaac Ruiz.

Lynne Thigpen Elementary School Principal Dr. Teresa Woodard (from left back row), Joliet Public Schools District 86 Superintendent Dr. Theresa Rouse, and Carl Sandburg Elementary School Academic Advisor Nina Easto pose with first place spelling bee winner Natalia Hernandez and second place winner Isaac Ruiz. (Photo Provided by Joliet Public Schools District 86)

Joliet — Joliet Public Schools District 86 has declared the winners of its annual District 86 Elementary School Spelling Bee.

After 17 rounds of competition at Pershing Elementary School, Natalia Hernandez, a fifth grader at Lynne Thigpen Elementary School, was declared the winner.

She was followed by Carl Sandburg Elementary’s Isaac Ruiz in second place and T.E. Culbertson Elementary’s Alexander Cervantes in third place.

The three top spellers now will move on to compete in the 2025 Will County Regional Spelling Bee at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox on March 13. They will be joined by the top spellers from several of the district’s other schools: Karielle Walters from Dirksen Junior High, Amy Salazar from Gompers Junior High, Mindy Rios from Hufford Junior High and Jada Brown from Washington Academy.

Other students who competed in the District 86 spelling bee were Ruben Rojo Ricardez, Mariana Reyes, Gael Hernandez Jaramillo, Mateo Morales, Evalyn Goins, Sofia Ruiz, Justin Hernandez, Ororo Selene Dokes, Alvaro Hernandez, Christian Perez, Gabriel Duran and Jeffrey Brown.

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