TONTOGANY — Otsego Local Schools is sending a student to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Superintendent Kevin O’Shea announced at the March regular board meeting that Kendall Mehl won the regional competition and was moving onto the National Spelling Bee Competition in Washington D.C. later in May.
At the regional competition she competed against 21 other students and finished in first place after successfully spelling the word “declamatory.”
She will compete nationally against 249 other competitors from across the country and has a chance to the top prize of $50,000.
Mehl is the first and only student from Otsego to qualify for this, O’Shea said.
Also at the meeting, the board:
• Honored Students of the Month for March: 6th Grade Sonora Brewer, Layne Mason; 7th Grade Alivia Morrison, Max Bruss; 8th Grade Addison Hertzfeld, Crosby Brewer; Freshman Tanna Wilson; sophomore Charlize Moccabee; funior Hannah Bechstein; senior Cohen Feehan; Penta Career Center Jamison Wallace.
• Recognized Jack Simpson, who was honored at the 62nd annual Scholar Athlete Dinner hosted by the Toledo Chapter National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Inc.
• Recognized Trevor Wilcox, who placed fifth in the state wrestling competition in March. He is the first in school history to qualify for all four years of high school. He also won several league titles in his weight class and was named the 2024 NBC Wrestler of the Year.
• Recognized the Otsego High School competition cheer team for competing in the OASSA State Cheer Competition. There they placed second in the state out of six teams competing in the the gameday building and tumbling routine and also second in the state for their traditional building and tumbling routine.
• Learned three Otsego teachers won $500 grants from the Northwest Sewer District: Bob Furlong, Jillan Body and Kirstina Roberts.
• Learned campus Safety Director Noel Crawford was given a $30,000 safety grant to upgrade security cameras.
“I am very proud of our teams, coaches, and individuals. There are a lot of good things happening here and it’s a testament to committed families, staff, and students,” O’Shea said. “It’s really neat to see students perform and compete at the highest levels and I am just so proud of their efforts.”
