Harrisburg School District spelling bee was held Monday
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Two students from Harrisburg Middle School will advance to the Saline County Spelling Bee next week.
Eighth-grader Ryan Williams took home the first-place trophy from Harrisburg School District on Monday. Aaron Stephens, a seventh-grader, took second place.
In order to win in the final rounds, the champion speller must spell the word the runner-up missed, then spell the next word correctly. Williams spelled "aspirin" correctly, then spelled "terrace" to clinch his win.
Williams apparently has a knack for spelling, or else he has been paying close attention in class.
"Actually, I didn't really study," Williams said.
Stephens said he prepared a little bit, but didn't study hard either.
Williams and Stephens were part of a group of 12 students who competed to be crowned spelling champion of Harrisburg Monday morning. The spelling bee was highly competitive, but eventually the field was winnowed to two.
Williams and Stephens will compete against champions and runners-up from Eldorado, Galatia and Carrier Mills-Stonefort 6 p.m Monday at the Harrisburg Middle School Media Center. The County Spelling Bee is hosted by the Regional Office of Education.