Merrimack Middle School hosted its annual Watkins Spelling Contest on Jan. 19. The Watkins Spelling Contest was started in 1955 by the late Harry Watkins, a longtime resident of Merrimack who donated $1,000 to establish spelling bees in the district’s schools. The following students were team winners and participated in the final contest: Justin Calautti, Alexis Islam, Zach Beavis, Owen Bailey, Erica Lane, Autumn Tierney and Kyle Feeney. The first place winner was Owen Bailey from team 8-1. Owen will go on to participate in the Regional Spelling Bee. Watkins Spelling Contest runners-up were Alexis Islam from team 7-2 (second place), Autumn Tierney from team 8-3 (third place), and Erica Lane from team 8-2 (fourth place). All contestants received cash prizes and Barnes & Noble gift cards contributed by the Watkins Trust.