Havre Middle School student places 10th at state spelling bee

Havre Middle School eighth grader Lyvia Little, after placing first in the Hill County Spelling Bee, placed 10th in the Treasure State Spelling Bee earlier this year.

"It was pretty nerve-racking, but more exciting," Little said. "... It was a good experience."

She said the event was more or less normal this year, with no COVID-19 protocols after being canceled in 2020 and administered as a proctored test in 2021.

Little made it through many rounds during this year's bee without trouble, saying each word she was given was one she was confident she could spell perfectly.

However, her bid to win the bee came to an end after encountering the word ombudsman, a somewhat obscure word for an official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against maladministration, and one which she had never heard before.

She said she didn't have a chance to study much, for either the Hill County bee or the Montana bee due to illness, but her love of reading gave her a substantial vocabulary to fall back on.

"I read every night," Little said, "Probably later than I should."

She said she's always loved reading, which allows her to briefly become a part of another adventurous world.

Little also plays the trumpet and is learning the guitar on top of also playing softball and golf.