Gentry Layton of Park Hills Central Middle School will represent Three Rivers College and Southeast Missouri at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Layton won the championship at the 17th Annual Three Rivers College Southeast Missouri Spelling Bee on Saturday. Layton’s winning word in the 14th round was “analphabet,” which means “one who cannot read.”
The Scripps National Spelling Bee will take place May 26-28.
Doniphan Middle School students finished both second and third. Caydin Morin finished second. Morin also finished second in 2025. Anita Zoellner finished third.
Twenty-seven students from 17 area middle and elementary schools took part in this year’s competition.
The rest of the finalists finished in the following order: fourth place (tie), Lacey Coffer, Poplar Bluff Junior High, Karly Wear, Ste. Genevieve Middle School, Clara Wilkerson, Poplar Bluff Middle School, and Owen Albritton, Poplar Bluff Junior High; eighth place, Claire Branum, Senath-Hornersville Middle School; ninth place, Nate Stevens, Risco Elementary School; and 10th place, Kaylee Carr, Senath-Hornersville Middle School.
Three Rivers College is an official sponsor for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Each year’s winner receives an expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital for the nationwide competition, where they will match their spelling skills against more than 200 spellers from every state and several foreign nations.
The Three Rivers College Southeast Missouri Spelling Bee is sponsored by: Insta Print, Southern Bank, Gamblin Lumber, Kennedy Robbins Yarbro & Henson, LC, Poplar Bluff Rotary Club, East Side Discount Pharmacy, and Blaich Family Dentistry.
