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The Multi-Regional State Spelling Bee Thursday, March 12 at the Bigwood Event Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The day began at 12:45 p.m. with a traditional oral spelling bee. The bee lasted 13 rounds, and the champion was J. Ryne Kisch of Barnesville. The winning word was "bombilation." The champion will compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in May.

Twenty-one students from the following districts participated; Annandale, Barnesville, Central MN Christian - Prinsburg, Chisago Lakes, Duluth, East Grand Forks, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Hancock, Marshall, Moorhead, Morris, Park Rapids, Parkers Prairie, Princeton, St. James Catholic - Duluth, St. John's Prep - Collegeville, Warroad, Waubun Ogema White Earth, Yellow Medicine - Granite Falls.

Attending, representing Chisago Lakes was, Ali Fuller of Lindstrom. She came in second place winning the 1st runner-up trophy. Fuller correctly spelled imperative, curriculum, aspen, amarillo, tariff, bromeliad, efficacy, feldsher, bobadil, luminaria, and tetracycline before mispelling phonasthenia in the twelfth round. Until that point she has not misspelled a word in competition all year.

Fuller got to participate in the state bee after winning both the district and the Regional spelling bee for the second year in a row.

She says she is a little disappointed that, being an either grader, this is the last year she is eligible to compete in the bee. Parents, Brian and Wendy Fuller, and siblings, Jacob and Samantha, couldn't be more proud of Ali.

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