NEW SHARON — It took 24 rounds to declare sixth-grader Aubrey Hoes a winner in the Mt. Blue Regional School District Spelling Bee on Monday.

Hoes, of Cascade Brook School in Farmington, and eighth-grader Ben Andrews, of Mt. Blue Middle School, went through 10 rounds before Hoes took the title.

Andrews missed the word “vitriolic” to give Hoes the edge. Hoes went on to spell “insinuate” and then “affluent” to capture the win.

Hoes and Andrews, along with third-place winner Maeve Hickey of the middle school and fourth place winner Scott Barber of Academy Hill School in Wilton, will go to the Franklin County Spelling Bee at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Strong Elementary School. Haley Garcia from the middle school is the alternate.

There were 14 contestants from grades four through eight from four schools who competed. Teacher Maureen Oswald pronounced the words for contestants.

Judges were Keith Acedo, principal of Academy Hill School, Nichole Goodspeed, principal of Cascade Brook School, and Wendy Ross, an educational technician at Cape Cod Hill School.

Darlene Paine, principal of Cape Cod Hill School, read the rules prior to the students and members of the audience prior to the bee beginning.

dperry@sunjournal.com