The Atchison County Spelling Bee was held Thursday, February 9, 2023, in the Rock Port R-II Gym. Gracie Walker, left, a Tarkio R-I sixth grader, won the spelling bee, correctly spelling churn. Mya Welch, right, a Rock Port eighth grader, placed second. Gracie and Mya will represent Atchison County in the Northwest Missouri Regional Spelling Bee in St. Joseph, Missouri, on March 4. Amy Skillen was the pronouncer, and judges were Dustin Barnes, Kari Taylor, and Steve Waigand.

A total of 12 participants from Fairfax, Tarkio, and Rock Port schools took part in the Atchison County Spelling Bee. Pictured above, from left to right, are: front row – Gracie Walker, Mya Welch, Clara Hays (first alternate), and Taya Winham (second alternate); and back row – Tucker Hurst, Teahen Hannah, Mason Kingery, Elsey Rogers, Karlie Gebhards, Chord Christians, Alex Wintz, and Deyton Burke.