From left are Titiksha Gorhe, spelling bee champion, and Mydin Burgher, spelling bee runner up.

WARSAW — On Tuesday, Jan. 8, a total of 23 fifth-and sixth-grade students from Lincoln Elementary School gathered in the Lincoln gymnasium to compete in the annual spelling bee competition. Titiksha Gorhe earned the title of 2019 Lincoln Elementary School spelling bee champion. Gorhe is a fifth-grade student in Paula Shank’s class.

After an intense 57-round showdown, Gorhe and Mydin Burgher had exhausted almost all of the words that were given to them for the school spelling bee.

“It was evident that the top two students had spent a lot of time studying,” said Shank, who also served as the organizer of the spelling bee. “Burgher and Gorhe were given another list of words to study from the county spelling bee list of words. Each student had one night to study the words given, and the spelling bee continued on Thursday, Jan. 10.”

According to Shank, the spelling bee lasted an additional nine rounds before Gorhe secured the win by spelling the word “belligerent.”

Gorhe will compete in the county spelling bee on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at Milford School.