MISSOULA — The 2025 Missoula County Orthography Bee — also known as the Spelling Bee — crowned a winner Thursday night at Sentinel High School.
Forty-five student contestants competed for a chance at the first place title. The winner gets to progress into the next round at the Treasure State Spelling Bee.
The judges listened intently as the students gave their best attempt at spelling the challenging words. The Margaret Johnson Theater was filled with parents cheering their kids on.
Ruby Wang, a fifth grade student at Saint Joseph School, won the first-place title.
In preparation for this year's bee, she got some help from her older sister who won the Treasure State Spelling Bee in 2024 and competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"I was pretty confident an kind of nervous," Ruby Wang said, remembering the feeling of first walking into the event.
The competition was sponsored by the Montana Television Network.
Looking ahead, Wang is preparing to compete for the state title, with the support of her sister.
After that, Wang could have a shot at the Scripps national title, depending on the outcome of the Montana spelling bee.
