Colorado City boy is Mohave County spelling champion

KINGMAN – A seventh-grader from Colorado City was crowned champion of the 2023 Mohave County spelling bee on Friday, Jan. 27.

Bright young spellers from throughout the county squared off in the annual competition held in the Mohave County Board of Supervisors Auditorium in downtown Kingman.

Ethan Knudson from the Masada Charter School on the Arizona strip claimed first place in a near two-hour-long competition with a correct spelling of "hostile" in the 13th round. Knudson earns the right to represent Mohave County in the word warrior battle for the Arizona state spelling bee championship in Phoenix in March.

Seventh-grader Connor Hall from the Mohave Accelerated Learning Charter in Bullhead City was runner-up after misspelling “fluoride," with third place honors to Micah Short, a fifth-grader representing Camp Mohave Elementary School in Fort Mohave.

County School Superintendent Mike File thanked competition pronouncer Cliff Angle, Judges Donna File, Diana Haws and Geni Borland and Mohave County Educational Service Center staff for their event support. The spelling bee can be viewed on the Mohave County YouTube channel.