After 12 rounds and 150 words, the Buda Elementary Spelling Bee contest – an officially sanctioned Scripps National Spelling Bee competition – was won by fifth-grader Riley Stumpf. With the excitement building before a crowd of classmates, parents and friends, Riley and three other competitors, Lauren Craig, Ryah Gonzalez and Jasmine Taylor, went toe-to-toe for the campus bee’s closing rounds. Riley took the trophy with a final round spelling of “intricate” and “ambitious.” She will represent Hays CISD at a regional spelling bee in Austin in February. (Photo by Jim Cullen)

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