Hutto Middle School eighth-grader Kyle Horne recently competed and won first place in the annual Tallahassee Democrat Big Bend Regional Spelling Bee on Feb. 14.

Horne represented Hutto Middle School and the Decatur County School System after competing and winning the Scripts National Spelling Bee for the district held in the fall.

Earlier this school year, students at Hutto Middle School and West Bainbridge Middle School had the opportunity to enter into the Scripts National Spelling Bee sponsored by Decatur County Association of Educators.

Each school held spelling bees with approximately 30 students competing that enabled the top five spellers from Hutto and West Bainbridge middle schools to contend in a district spelling bee at the Decatur County Support Center in December.

Horne was the winner of the local spelling bee, and Caroline New, a Hutto eighth-grader, won first place.