BILLINGS — The Yellowstone County Spelling Bee took place Saturday morning at West High School.
“It was really nice to be able to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the bee," said Julia Lillethun, who MTN met last year when she was searching for a replacement bee director. "It did my heart good because I saw the kids supporting each other and high-fiving each other.”
For the first time in 27 years, the county bee has a new director: Amber McDermott.
“I had some extra time and I’ve always loved the spelling bee," said McDermott, a former MSUB professor of psychology. "Academia is sort of my jam. So a spelling bee seemed right up my alley.”
She explained that the county commissioners provided $2,000 for the bee. McDermott, like Lilethun, contributed approximately $1,000 for other out-of-pocket expenses.
“I couldn’t think of a better person to pass the torch on to," said Lillethun.
When MTN published last year's story on the spelling bee deficit, Lillethun said, alongside McDermott, she was approached by a refreshed group of sponsors, including Bill Simmons, owner of MasterLube.
“What I want to eventually do is pay the national registration fee for every school that wants to attend," said McDermott. “Usually it's about $100 per school … Some schools don’t have that extra money.”
This year, 40 students participated in the festivities, with Colton Tolman, an eighth grader from Ben Steele Middle School, winning first place by spelling "demulcent."
“I just kind of figured out what it sounded like. I don’t remember studying it, really, that much. It sounded like how I (spelled) it," said Tolman.
At the end of the event, Lillethun was presented with a plaque from McDermott which read, "Presented to Julia Lillethun in honor of her dedication to directing the Yellowstone County Spelling Bee for the past 27 years. Thank you."
"It meant that all that time and energy was worth it–and our children are worth it," said Lillethun.
