Maui’s top spellers earn recognition
Maui District Spelling Bee champion Aaron Omuro (third from left), a 5th-grader at Kahului Elementary School, stands alongside 2nd runner-up and Maui Waena Intermediate School 7th-grader Chelsey Konno (from left), Kahului Principal Keoni Wilhelm, 1st runner-up and Lokelani Intermediate School 7th-grader Makeda Wilmeth, Lokelani Principal Nicole McCombs, and Kathleen Dimino, superintendent of the Baldwin-Kekaulike-Maui Complex Area. The spelling bee was held on Tuesday in the Baldwin High School Multipurpose Room and featured 37 spellers from 19 Maui District schools. The winning word was “rapport” in the 18th round. Omuro and Wilmeth will represent the Maui District in the state bee, set for 6 p.m. March 8 at the New Hope Auditorium on Oahu.
Photo courtesy Michelle Tom