 31 students from across the Region 5 area competed in the Lakes bee today at Sourcewell and Staples. The winner of the regional Spelling Bee will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. A reporter Rachel Johnson has more. A good memory, lots of studying and being able to be calm under pressure are just a few things that make for a successful Spelling Bee contestant. The kids are, they're full of nerves, but there's so much in them. They've been studying so hard. Today, students from Region 5, Cass, Crowing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena Counties gathered in Staples to compete in the Lakes Bee. All of the schools in Region 5 participate at the Spelling Bee at their local level, and then we host at the regional level, and then from here then they move on to Washington, the Washington competition. The Spelling Bee started off with 31 students and whittled down over 8 rounds to one final winner. The Spelling Bee began at 130 sharp, and as the competition went on, fewer and fewer students remained. After the eighth round, it was down to the final two. It was the word apothecary that sealed the deal, and Hannah Modus was named 2019 Lakes Bee Winner. Exhilarated and really surprised. Hannah will travel to the Washington, D.C. area to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, all expenses paid by Sourcewell. I'm very, very proud, obviously. Proud for her. I'm very happy for her. Sourcewell has sponsored the event for years and has hosted it for the last three. We really stand behind just growth for kids and really being able to celebrate their accomplishments along the way, and this is just a beautiful way to do that and to have them be able to experience learning at much grander level. Hannah Modus is ready to get back to studying to gear up to face spellers from around the country at the National Spelling Bee. Reporting from Staples, Rachel Johnson, Lakeland News. And that Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held from May 27th through May 30th. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.