Miru Lee from William Yates Elementary outlasted 17 competitors and won the 2018 Blue Springs School District Spelling Bee Tuesday night. Miru, a fifth grader, took first place while Delta Woods eighth grader Charis Morasch placed second, and fourth graders Abigail Smith (Cordill-Mason), Hannah Brown (Voy Spears Jr.) and Ethan Box (James Lewis) tied for third. Miru correctly spelled the word “hackneyed” to seal the victory. 

After being diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma in March of 2017, Assistant Principal Eric Neff stressed preventative eye care for his students at Thomas Ultican Elementary.

On Monday, the school surprised him with a special assembly in which every student was wearing #EyeAmNotAlone sunglasses, while also announcing that they had raised over $1,500 to donate to A Cure In Sight Ocular Melanoma and the Ocular Melanoma Foundation.

Watch the emotional moment from a facebook video, as Neff walks into the gym and hear from others involved on why the gesture was so special.

#WeAreBSSD