War of Words: RHS Students Win Spelling Bee

Patch wasn’t the best, but we also didn’t rank the "wurst."

Local editors from , and formed one of six teams to face off in the eighth annual Thursday at the in Bolingbrook.

The event helps support the VVEEF’s mission to fund enrichment opportunities for local students. And the group’s efforts must be paying off—this year marked the first time a team of Valley View students has taken first place as the most skilled spellers.

juniors Cayle Higgins, Anh Dang, Raeed Khan and Vanessa Nyarko defeated a team from in Bolingbrook.

Since only teams of three are allowed to compete, the four students switched off during each round of the competition.

“It feels great,” Dang said of the team’s victory over the Tibbott teachers.

To make their feat even more impressive, the teens only had two days to prepare for the annual spelling competition.

“We got (the word) list two days ago,” Higgins said, explaining he and his teammates made a last-minute decision to compete.

The Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce’s team took home a somewhat less prestigious honor. After entering the competition as the reigning spelling bee champs, the team flubbed enough words to earn the “Wurst” award, also known as the "Most Creative Spellers" award.

Their trophy is pretty eye-catching, though.

“Last year’s trophy was an outhouse,” said  VVEEF President Mike Lawler. “This year it’s the hind end of a ... horse,” he added, laughing.

“It’s a humbling experience because we won last year,” said chamber President and CEO Bridget Domberg. Teammate Tom Gilligan, president of Brookville Networking & Technology, saw the silver lining.

“Well, we were creative,” he joked.

Domberg agreed. "And it's such a good cause," she said.

Tibbott staff members took second in the competition, followed by third-place winners DuPage Township for Youth. Teams from the, Bolingbrook Area Chamber of Commerce and also participated.