Park Hill eighth-grader Grant Pace won a second-straight trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington in May.

On Saturday Pace won the Northwest Missouri Regional Spelling Bee at St Francis Xavier School.

The event was sponsored by the St Joseph News Press.

Grant Pace ensured that Platte County still reigns supreme when it comes to producing regional champion spellers.

Grant retained his title from last year by correctly spelling “nadir” — the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith.

It marked the sixth straight year that a student from Platte County has won the regional bee.

“Studying is really important,” Grant told the newspaper. “Another important thing is to slow down and take your time.”

He competed at the nationals last year, but misspelled “cataclysmic” in the third round. This time, he will compete as speller number 140 among 256 other students. This year’s bee week is set to begin May 27 in the nation’s capital.