By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

Renee Crumpton, a seventh grade Hayneville Middle School student, correctly spelled “invertebrate” and then spelled “contemporaneous” to win the Lowndes County Public Schools’ 2013 District-Wide Spelling Bee held Thursday, Jan. 24 at Lowndes County Middle School in Fort Deposit.

It was the third year in a row for a Hayneville Middle School student to win the event.

Second place went to A’Nekia Surles, a fifth grade Central Elementary school student, and third place went to Jerrica Knight, a sixth grade Hayneville Middle School student.

Ronda Daniel, a Hayneville Middle School teacher, was proud of her first and third place students in the event.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing. We really work hard with students. The students work very hard, and we are just extremely proud of what they have achieved,” Daniel said.

“A’Nekia (Surles) is one of the best in Lowndes County. So, she deserves this second place trophy,” Gwen Daniel, a Central Elementary School teacher said of her student. “Could have been first, but we’ll work on first next year.”

Lowndes County School Superintendent Dr. Daniel Boyd was also proud of the students and teachers involved.

“Behind winning students are winning teachers. So, we have great teachers… outstanding teachers. We’re all winners,” Boyd said.

The event featured students from Fort Deposit Elementary, Central Elementary, Jackson-Steele Elementary, Lowndes County Middle and Hayneville Middle Schools.

School winners who were eligible to compete in the district-wide event were:

Fort Deposit: Second grade, Zachary Byrd first, Kaitlyn Tolliver second and Alexandria McHenry third; Third grade, Malaysia McMeans, first, Nikki Taylor second and Moesha McCall third; Fourth grade, Natiya Simmons first, Dacious Davison second and Malikai Mushatt third; Fifth grade, Saniya Haynes first, Janiqua Williams second and Jaziya Crum third.

Central Elementary: Second grade, Alonia Rush first, Devin Lewis second and Zariah Ingram third; Third grade Amber Smith first, Derrick McCall second and Tahjah McWilliams third; Fourth grade, Jalyn Zinn first, Aaliyah Casey second and DeAvonce Scott third; Fifth grade, A’Nekia Surles first, Devontae Rudolph second and JaBraylon Walters third.

School winners from Jackson-Steele Elementary, Lowndes County Middle School and Hayneville Middle School are not listed in order of place.

Jackson-Steele Elementary: Second grade, Ladarren Oliver, Amiyah Dubose and Quinderrious Rudolph; Third Grade, Atearri Armour, Mia Rose and Mario McCord; Fourth grade, Quinderrious Rush, Shekira Taylor and Shenderriya McCall; fifth grade, Tykerria Harris, Shunn Murray and Cordasia Harris.

Lowndes Middle School: Sixth grade, Johnora Jenkins, Kiyanna Hardy and Tyrese Searight; Seventh grade, Arianna Armstrong, Deandrea Truitt and Nyia Kinloch; Eighth grade, Santana Thomoas.

Hayneville Middle School: Sixth grade, Jerrica Knight, Kendarius Grant and Damien Wright; Seventh grade, Angelica Soles, Jada Lewis, Jaquauious Edward and Renee Crumpton.