The word is: E-X-A-C-T-I-N-G.

Many of the Kansas City area’s top young spellers – heck, top spellers of any age – face off in the annual Jackson-Clay County Spelling Bee championship. They’ve survived school spell-downs and division bees, and now a single winner will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

The bee is presented in partnership with the Mid-Continent Public Library and Local Investment Commission (LINC).