You could cut the tension with a knife — that’s k-n-i-f-e — as the 2025 County Spelling Bee got underway on Feb. 5 at Clancy Elementary School, with 31 of the best elementary and middle school spellers from four local schools vying for a chance to represent Jefferson County in the Treasure State Spelling Bee next month.
County Superintendent of Schools Sarah Eyer welcomed parents and spectators, then introduced the four judges: librarians Jodi Smiley from Boulder and Tona Iwen from Clancy, along with Sarah Layng from Jefferson High School, and Cody Richardson, a student at county schools before joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a wildlife specialist.
Jennifer Milton from Clancy School served as “pronouncer” for the event. And Jefferson High School sophomore Natalie Russ, a past Spelling Bee winner herself, was the opening speaker, offering words of encouragement to the competitors.
