By Rita Howell

There’s nothing mediocre about Jaterrica Amos’ spelling ability. The 12-year-old Batesville Junior High sixth grader won the 2010 Panola County Spelling Bee last Friday, correctly spelling “mediocre” in the sixth and final round of competition.

The annual event pits the top spellers from seven Panola County schools in a contest that selects the county’s representative to the Mid-South Spelling Bee in Memphis, to be held this year on March 6.

The Mid-South winner gets an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the National Spelling Bee.

Jaterrica, daughter of Jackie and Terry Amos of Batesville, said she’d been studying the “word lists” supplied by her teacher in preparation for the bee. She had placed second in last year’s county bee.

Coming in second in the 2010 bee was Jesiah Williams, 11, a fifth grader at Como Elementary. Third place winner was Dylan McCollum, 13, a seventh grader at Pope School.

The top three spellers received savings bonds from local banks.

Other competitors, each having won the spelling bee at his or her school, were: Carly Coleman, 11, a fifth grader at Batesville Middle School; Vincent Davis, 13, a seventh grader at North Panola Junior High; Tierra Wheatley, 10, a fifth grader at Crenshaw Elementary; and Aliyah Butts, 10, a fifth grader at Green Hill Elementary.

The bee was held in the auditorium at Batesville Intermediate School and attended by parents, teachers and interested students.

Judges were retired teachers Willa Ales, Teresa Wright, Joy Tippit and Denise Benson.

Pope teacher Teri Broome was the pronouncer.

The Panola County Bee is coordinated each year by retired teacher Geneva Baird.