Congratulations to Alex Banta, who had the last word in the annual Deer Path Middle School Spelling Bee. Alex spelled "battalion" correctly for the win. Carra Wu was the runner-up. Both students are seventh graders at DPM. Forty contestants from grades 5-8 participated in the bee. The competition was tight this year, with no spellers eliminated after the first round. Alex will compete in the Lake County Sectionals in February. Good luck to Alex, and a big thank you to all the contestants who participated.