OAKWOOD - Hall County has a new spelling bee champion.
"A-R-I-S-T-O-C-R-A-C-Y...aristocracy," 10-year-old Parker Ramey said.
Parker said he felt butterflies in his stomach as he spelled that final word correctly and won the 2008 Hall County Spelling Bee at West Hall Middle School Monday.
"I studied very hard and I read a lot," Parker said. "I read a lot and studied the words a lot."
Parker's dad, Hank Ramey, gets to take the district spelling bee trophy back to Jones Elementary School, where he is the principal.
"We get to move that spelling bee cup over to Jones Elementary but it's even more special when it's your son," Ramey said.
The spelling bee was the biggest and longest in memory according to Hall County Middle School principal Sarah Justus, whose school hosted the event.
Dr. Justus said the 'bee' went for nearly 20 rounds with 38 spellers.
"We're a community of literacy and I think it's paying off," she said. "I think we're seeing the dividends of being a very literacy focused community."
Hall County's spelling champ now moves on to district competition February 23d in Suwanee with second runner-up Jonathan Casas from East Hall Middle School.
South Hall Middle School student Kaitlin Inman finished third.
Thursday
June 5th, 2025
3:11PM
