20 of our favorite photos from the Kalamazoo spelling bee

KALAMAZOO, MI -- One by one, students stepped up to the microphone Saturday, March 21, to show off their spelling skills. In front of a panel of judges, the students recited spellings for words like merlin, corgi, yoohoo and clickbait. The difficulty increased as time went on and students were eliminated after a single misspelling. Heron Bothwell won the spelling bee by spelling "espousal." Here are some of our favorite photos from the event: The spelling bee began after a brief introduction from Kalamazoo Gazette Editor Taylor DesOrmeau. The field of competitors at the regional spelling bee included 42 winners and runners up at school spelling bees. The Kalamazoo Regional Spelling Bee, for spellers in grades four through eight, was presented by MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. Families watched from the audience as students showed off their spelling skills. People clapped for the competitors between rounds. Judges checked the accuracy of the spellings. Students had to progress through multiple rounds to stay in the running. DesOrmeau led a quick stretch between rounds of the spelling bee. Spellers were eliminated during multiple rounds, leaving open seats. As the rounds progressed, more seats were left empty as students as students were eliminated. Orion Bailey, a seventh grader at Hillside Middle School, finished in second place. He misspelled "Adirondack" after being perfect through the first six rounds. Heron Bothwell had perfect spelling Saturday. "E-S-P-O-U-S-A-L," said Bothwell, the last speller left standing, triggering a round of applause in the auditorium. A fifth grader at Parkwood-Upjohn Elementary School, she won the Kalamazoo Regional Spelling Bee with the correct spelling of the final word.