Putnam County Schools kicked off the 2025 academic event season on Tuesday, January 14, with the annual Putnam County Spelling Bee hosted at Buffalo High School and sponsored by the Putnam County Library. School Spelling Bee Champions in grades 4 through 8 competed for the championship title and the opportunity to represent Putnam County at the 2025 Gazette-Mail Regional Online Spelling Bee.
Congratulations to Putnam County Schools 2025 Spelling Bee Champion Kyle Johnson (7th Grade) of Hurricane Middle and Spelling Bee Runner-Up Katie Mezzanotte (7th Grade) of Poca Middle School.
Kyle spelled the anticipated championship word in the 15th round to become the 2025 Putnam County Spelling Bee Champion. Both Kyle and Katie will advance to the Regional Bee this March. The winner of the Regional Bee will represent the state of West Virginia at the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in Washington, D.C.
A very special Spelling Bee thank you to our guest pronouncer Putnam County Library Director Megan Tarbett and judges Lynda Rumbaugh, Elizabeth Hoh, and Susan Beck!
PCS 2025 Spelling Bee Student Participants
Matti Newman, Buffalo Elementary
Owen Ray, Calvary Baptist (Elementary)
Ella Dunn, Calvary Baptist (Middle)
Hadley Wiseman, Confidence Elementary
Keith Taylor, Conner Street Elementary
Elliana Conn, Eastbrook Elementary
Lucas Stone, George Washington Elementary
Jasey Green, George Washington Middle
Cody Pickens, Hometown Elementary
Luca Malhotra, Hurricane Town Elementary
Kyle Johnson, Hurricane Middle
Jo Butterworth, Lakeside Elementary
Lincoln Hesson, Mountain View Elementary
Aubree Simmons, Poca Elementary
Katie Mezzanotte, Poca Middle
Braxton Gibson, Rock Branch Elementary
Vianna Nguyen, Scott Teays Elementary
Kolson Snider, Teays Valley Christian (Elementary)
Piper Waugh, Teays Valley Christian (Middle)
Emily Scott, West Teays Elementary
Joshua Trout, Winfield Elementary
Hannah Greenlee, Winfield Middle
Congratulations to all Putnam Student Spellers and our new Spelling Bee Champion, Kyle, and Runner-Up, Katie! We are honored to have you represent Putnam County. We wish you the best of luck advancing to the next round of the competition!