Happy was I to recognize two Hoggatteers - ANNA and RAMONA - who sat in my final fourth grade class, last year. These were two of the final three on stage. RAMONA battled it out with a gentleman for the championship title, and for that, she gains a hearty huzzah! from us all. We will proudly support her as she competes in the regional bee in the coming weeks.
After the contest, I spent some time with former pupils in their classrooms, receiving some much needed hugs and handshakes from them and being reminded of the impact that a teacher has on his students. It helps me recall this young lady (fourth from the right, below), a Hoggatteer named MICHELLE who topped the regional competition years ago and remains in the newspaper's banner on their Spelling Bee page.