Cass County had 49 students from eleven different schools registered in the Annual Spelling Bee on Friday afternoon. Luna Gasevic and Merryn Johnson were the top two finishers and will now advance to the State Spelling Bee held in Bismarck at the Bismarck Event Center on March 18, 2024.

Luna Gasevic, an eighth grader at Ben Franklin Middle School, finished in first place and Merryn Johnson, an eighth grader at Discovery Middle School, took second after a head-to-head spell-off. Alisha Mehta, a fifth grader at Dakota Montessori School, finished in third place. 

The Cass County Spelling Bee started with a written session to determine who will square off in the final spell-off. The top twelve scores from the written test advanced to the final session to determine the top two finishers to represent Cass County in the statewide contest.

Each county can send two students to compete for the state title. The champion will represent North Dakota at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.