Jayhawk Elementary speller takes county title

Jayhawk Elementary sixth-grader smiles after spelling his final word correctly to win the Linn County Spelling Bee on Thursday, Feb. 12. (Except where noted, photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)

By Roger Sims, Journal staff

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

PLEASANTON – Jayhawk Elementary School student Kellin Nickelson will represent Linn County in the statewide spelling bee on March 21. Kellin won the county spelling bee on Thursday, Feb. 12, by correctly spelling ”lasagna.”

In his opening remarks to the bee, Pleasanton elementary principal Nathan Meik said that doing well in a spelling be was 90% skill and 10% luck. However, luck may have ultimately played a more substantial role than that in Thursday’s event.

The top three spellers included champion Kellin Nickelson, from left, runner-up Erika Martinez, and Jamie Sullens, third-place finisher.

The county spell-off wasn’t without some drama. Held in the gym of Pleasanton Elementary School, the bee saw three students miss their words in the first round, eliminating them.

The second round saw another eight students leave the contest. The third round was “bloodier” in a spelling kind of way. Eight of the nine students remaining were eliminated, leaving only Austin Mundell of Parker Elementary School still in the contest.

He only had to spell “ultimatum” to cinch his win. But Austin used a “i” where there should have been a “u” and the eight who were out in round No. 3 were once again contenders and rejoined Austin on the floor.

In the fourth round, all but three students missed their word, and that left Kellin, Erika Martinez of Pleasanton Elementary and Jamie Sullens of Pleasanton Junior High still in the game.

In the fifth round with the three remaining contenders, Kellin spelled his word correctly, but Erika and Jamie did not. Kellin then correctly spelled what could become his favorite Italian food dish to claim the champion medal.

Pleasanton Elementary School rolled out the welcome mat for spellers including this display outside and balloons inside. The decorations were provided by Events by Erika, a Pleasanton-based business.

It was then up to Erika and Jamie to battle it out for second place. But as the contest progressed the words got harder. “Silhouette,” “hors d’oeuvres,” “pumpernickel,” “cadre,” and “ostracizing,” were some of the words that tripped up the pair. 

(Editor’s note – We had to look up “hors d’oeuvres” because our spell check kept red-lining what was typed in. Spell check was also not very happy about our first version of "silhouette.")

After several rounds Erika correctly spelled her word for second place and Jamie was awarded third place. Erika will be the alternate to the state spelling bee if Kellin is unable to attend.

The 2026 Sunflower State Spelling Bee will be held at Sams Chapel on the Kansas Wesleyan University campus in Salina. The Kansas Press Association serves as the state sponsor for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It is open to top spellers from Kansas counties for students up to eighth grade.

Twenty-one students from Linn County schools competed in the county spelling bee. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Meik)

Students qualifying for the county bee from the eight schools in Linn County included:

• La Cygne Elementary – Christopher Brady, Sterling Christie, and Carrera Shaeffer

• Parker Elementary – Austin Mundell, Sutton Schwarz, and Hudsyn Miller

• Prairie View Middle School – Noah Groce, Stratton Miller, and Justin Dumcum

• Pleasanton Elementary – Levi Dir, Molly Herring, and Erika Martinez

• Pleasanton Junior High – Thomas Kuykendall, Brendan Shroyer, and Jamie Sullins

• Jayhawk Elementary – Ryder Krull, Kellin Nickelson, and Corbyn Thomas

• Jayhawk Junior High – Jordyn Burns and Neila Haines

• Proverbs Christian Academy – Aria Hale