By JOYANNA LOVE/Senior Staff Writer

VERBENA —Cheyann Barchard, an eighth-grade student, is headed to the Chilton County Schools countywide spelling bee for the second year in a row after winning this year’s Verbena High School bee on Jan. 13

Her winning word was “inlet.”

Fourth through eighth grades had a grade level spelling bee to determine who would participate in the final round.

Barchard said she prepared for the event by studying the list of words provided, and plans to study even more for the county level bee. Barchard had also advanced to the county level when she was in seventh and fifth grade.

Matthew Porter, a seventh-grade student, was the runner-up at Verbena for the second year in a row this year.

During the spelling bee, students were allowed to ask for the word to be repeated, the definition, origin of the word and to have the word used in a sentence.

The countywide spelling bee will be held on Feb. 21.

The word list used is from the Scripps National Spelling Bee.