A Blountstown Middle School student is on her way to Washington D.C.

Five students from Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Santa Rosa, and Washington Counties took part in the 2008 Regional Spelling Bee put on by The News Herald and the Panama City Kiwanis Club.

Spellers went through 36 rounds of words, the most rounds ever in the spelling bee's history.

Eighth grader Caitlyn Stewart was Saturday's champion. She spelled the winning word: excoriate.

This is Caitlyn's third time participating in the regional spelling bee. She'll go on to the national spelling bee in April.

Caitlyn Stewart said, "My big sister went to national when she was in eighth grade.”

The runner up in Saturday's competition was Sharon Daughtery from Santa Rosa County.