MOHAVE COUNTY – A student from Colorado City successfully defended his 2023 Mohave County spelling bee championship Friday. Masada Charter school eighth grader Ethan Knudson won in the 11th round with a correct spelling of “nitrate.” Knudson qualified for the March 16 spelling bee in Phoenix.
Mohave County School Superintendent Mike File, retiring this year after 40 years of county bee involvement, said Knudson finished eighth at state last spring. He called Knudson a “spelling beast” who stands a good chance of moving up the leaderboard at this year’s state bee.
“It’s not the first time a Colorado City student won Mohave County spelling contests in the seventh and eighth grade. Troy Chatwin won back-to-back bee titles in 1989 and 1990, correctly spelling ??“camouflaged” for his second win.
White Cliffs Academy seventh grader Lindsey Haws was second in this year’s bee with third place honors earned by Bullhead City Mohave Accelerated Learning Charter school eighth grader Janelle Deese.
