DeKalb students nab first and second in spelling bee

Julia Denniss, 14, from Marist School in DeKalb County correctly spelled "planisphere" to win the 50th Annual Georgia Association of Educators State Spelling Bee for the third time. Denniss will represent the state in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, June 1 and 2. Simola Nayak, a seventh grader from Henderson Middle School in DeKalb, came in second. The students battled through more than 300 words and 42 rounds for the honor.