Congratulations to Jaxon Estrada and Trinity Rushing, who earned first and second place at McKinley’s Spelling Bee today. We are incredibly proud of both students. They will now move on to represent McKinley at the District Spelling Bee, which will take place on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
The winning words were “ramshackle,” an adjective that means in a state of severe disrepair, and “heron,” a noun that refers to a long-legged and long-necked bird often found near freshwater and coastal areas.
Twenty-two students participated in this exciting event. After five competitive rounds, our winners were named. Every student showed preparation and true Jaguar spirit. Go Jaguars!
We are excited to share a wonderful update from our McKinley staff. Lukas Elifritz placed third after competing through several rounds alongside 19 other talented student spellers. Congratulations, Lukas, and best of luck at district.
We want to express our sincere appreciation to all the individuals who helped make this event possible. Thank you to our judges, Mayor Nate Duckett, Ms. Pam Allcorn, and Ms. Cindy Calabaza. Thank you also to our wonderful host, Ms. Kay Brohn, to our pronouncer, Principal Ms. Melissa Vigil, and to our Assistant Principal, Ms. Christine Hemphill.
We also want to congratulate every Jaguar who took part in the Spelling Bee. Our students worked hard to grow their vocabularies, understand new words including democracy, seeping, and nautical, and master their spelling. They also showed what it means to support one another by cheering for their classmates throughout the rounds. At FMS, the Spelling Bee is one of our favorite annual events, and we are grateful to our families for coming today to celebrate with us. We look forward to seeing many of you at the District competition.